Licensed For Mercy
by RandleGreaserGirl
Summary: The first time you get hit leaves you distraught, confused, and unsure of what to do next. It wasn't only the first time though, and it wasn't only getting hit. All he could ask for now is mercy.
1. Chapter 1

Steve Randle was beginning to settle in one night. He had work the next morning and decided to get some sleep. That plan was short lived when he heard the front door open...and after some time passed, eventually shut. He sighed. The way the door was open and how long it took to shut told Steve all he needed to know about his dad for the night. As much as he didn't want to, Steve decided to go downstairs to check on him. Terrence Randle had been off work for hours now, so it was only obvious where he had been and what he was up to. How he reacts to Steve going down will depend on what kind of drunk he is tonight. Lately it's been mostly angry, but sometimes Steve will get a quiet drunk.

Downstairs in the living room, Steve saw his dad fiddling with the remote to get the TV on. "Where were you at?" Steve asked.

"Excuse me?" Terrence snapped. Okay, tonight was angry drunk.

"It's just late," Steve replied, trying not to make the angry worst, "I was just wondering. Got a little worried." That wasn't really true. Steve always knew where his dad was, basically wherever alcohol was, which meant the bar or someone's house. Sometimes he got home that same night and sometimes not until the next day.

"I'm your dad, you're not my dad, so don't worry about it," Terrence slurred.

"Did you drive?" That was really the one detail Steve was worried about. Sure, Steve had his share of drinking even though he was underage, but he refused to drive when he drank. He didn't need other people's lives in his hands like that.

"Oh good Lord, Steve..."

Steve threw his arms in the air, "Well do you see how you are right now? You are in no condition to drive and you could've hurt somebody or yourself. You can't keep doing this shit!" Terrence wasn't always the greatest father. When his wife, Steve's mom, passed away he developed a drinking habit that just slowly got worst. In the beginning, he was somewhat responsible about it, as in he didn't drive. He would just drink at home. As a few years passed that all changed. He'd drink outside of the house and make bad choices. The past month had become just straight awful though. Finishing bottles at home, neglecting house chores, spending a lot of time at bars and then driving afterwards, and Steve didn't even want to know if he was neglecting work. That would be a new low for him. Terrence just didn't seem to be able to mourn correctly and start living life without her. And apparently Steve wasn't a good enough reason to get healthy for.

Steve knew why his drinking was becoming excessive lately though. Coming up in a few weeks was going to be 10 years since the passing of Eliza Randle. Sure, the thought and memories flowing behind it make Steve want to drink and even smoke a little extra too, but he's done it in a more private setting where he could just pass out in bed. Plus he has the support of his friends, especially his best friend Sodapop, to keep him leveled. He was trying to be considerate of all of that for his dad, but the behavior and newly-adopted habits were becoming way out of hand and something serious was going to happen soon.

"Look," Steve continued, "I know what's coming up soon. Believe me, I'm not looking forward to it either, but this isn't the way to handle it. Just please..."

Terrence shot up from the couch, unsteadily. It was so erupt though, it made Steve kind of jump. He wasn't expecting anything out of his dad in response, besides the usual comments. Once he got close to Steve, he reached up and grasped Steve's shirt. Steve could smell the liquor on his breath. He felt fear rise in him. What was going on? What was he going to do? Terrence has never grabbed at him before. Usually the scolding resulted in Terrence yelling back and eventually ignoring Steve until he left the room. Terrence's eyes widened once he realized what he was doing. He quickly released Steve, but still had an angry tone to his voice. "Get out."

"What?" Steve asked in shock as he tried comprehending the situation.

"Get out before I do something I'm going to regret, boy!"

Steve just shook his head, "Oh come on, you won't do anything..." Steve was surprised at how shaky his voice sounded.

"I said go!" Terrence yelled so loud, it immediately made Steve run out. He ran down to the street and just looked back at his house. What had just happened? Steve could feel himself shaking a little. Was it the slight chill in the air, or the slight chill from the house? He took some deep breaths and calmed himself for a minute. He was half-expecting his dad to walk out and tell him to come back inside. That didn't happen. After a few minutes of settling his nerves, he settled on walking. He wasn't sure if anyone would be awake, but he was going to go to Soda's house.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve arrived at the Curtis house and walked right inside. Darry Curtis was sitting in his armchair. "Hey Steve," he greeted surprised to see Steve, "What's going on?" Steve wasn't the usual one to show up at the Curtis house at night, so he couldn't blame Darry for the question. Usually the only time he spent the night was when he drank too much at their house. Sure, him and Terrence had their disagreements and yelling matches, but they would just ignore each other the rest of the night. Terrence would sometimes leave and be gone all night, but Steve never had to leave so abruptly. It felt odd to actually be at the Curtis house asking for help, because of home troubles.

"I don't know actually," Steve said trying to sound calm. Thinking of how to tell Darry what just happened made him feel a little jumpy.

"Are you okay?" Darry asked concerned. He sat upright in his armchair.

Steve nodded, "My dad just had a bad night, I guess."

"What happened?" Steve ran his hand through his hair, unsure of what to really say. Nothing really happened, but it sure seemed like something had happened. "Come sit down. You seem a bit shaken."

Steve walked over to the couch and took a seat. That was probably weird enough he hadn't just walked on over to the couch like he usually would. It was like his second home, or even more home than his actual one. "I don't know, man," Steve began, "It was just weird. My dad came home and we had just a regular argument, you know? I kind of got on his ass for driving and being out so late while obviously being very drunk. But there was just something different about him this time."

"How do you mean?" Darry asked, "Was he drunk, like really bad?"

Steve nodded, "I mean yeah, but he wasn't his regular drunk. He actually came up to me and grabbed me. He was so mad at me, or mad at something. Then he yelled at me to get out before he did anything regretful. I mean...I don't think he'd actually do anything, he wouldn't hit me like Johnny's parents...but I felt like I should listen and just get out. But I don't think he would do anything for real, don't you think?"

Darry shrugged and got up from his armchair, "Honestly Steve, I think he's going down a very hard path and he's not going down it correctly, which I'm sure you're aware of. I guess, no, I don't think he'd hit you if he was wise enough to at least tell you to leave. If he was rational enough to stop himself even being drunk, I guess that would be saying something. But of course I wouldn't try to provoke anything either and test him out."

Steve followed him into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, "Right. Her ten years is coming up soon, so I guess I get why he's being this way."

Darry nodded, "I know, but you also don't deserve him to be this way. He shouldn't be. I'm not going to be that way towards Soda and Ponyboy with our parents, you know?"

"But, he also did something like this at her one year and her five years. It will blow over, I'm sure," Steve said attempting to shrug it off.

"All I can say is do not make excuses for him. He should be there for you during this difficult time as much as you're being there cleaning up his mess. Not only that, but he shouldn't be handling it this way either." Steve nodded as he took a chug. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay. Honestly you can stay here as much as you want if you feel the need to lay low for a while."

"I know I could," Steve said feeling grateful. He was glad he could truly call this house a home for himself when it was needed, "Thanks Darry." Darry really was like a big brother to him during times like this.

"Well, I'm going to bed, so just take up the couch when you're ready. Good night," Darry said heading upstairs.

"Good night."

Steve normally could care less where he was falling asleep. He could usually fall asleep anywhere. That night was different as it was full of tosses and turns. Eventually Steve didn't think it was worth the struggle anymore. Getting up, Steve made his way out the back for a cigarette. It was slightly cold outside, but it did feel nice. Steve just couldn't shake what had happened. He also couldn't understand why it was bothering him so much.

"Nothing really happened," Steve told himself, "So why is it keeping me from sleeping?"

_Twelve-year-old Steve Randle sat on his bed that afternoon. Him and his dad had just returned from the cemetery visiting Eliza Randle's resting place. It had been 5 years now since her passing. Honestly, Steve didn't completely remember the details of his mom's death. It was probably traumatic enough for him to block some stuff out, let alone his younger age being a factor at the time. He had good memories of her though, and that was the part that hurt. The good memories were just that, memories. Nothing to be repeated anymore. Steve couldn't understand why it was this way. Why was his life like this? He went downstairs to try and distract himself. Maybe him and Terrence could go out and do some sort of father-son activity. He had mentioned getting a treat after the cemetery._

_When Steve got downstairs though, the visions of a treat vanished. His dad was having a drink on the back porch. He wasn't going to want to go anywhere. At least he was responsible like that. Steve didn't want to be stuck in the house all day though. Stepping out the backdoor, Steve said, "Hey dad, can I go to Soda's?"_

_"Sure," Terrence muttered. _

_"Are you okay?" _

_Terrence just nodded, but didn't say anything._

_"I'll be back later," Steve said and left the house._

Steve could see the little differences in his dad from then to now. Honestly, he should've noticed the signs though. It should've been a little obvious that Terrence was going to down a bad path, especially since no one was intervening. Everyone excused him, because of Eliza's death. The excuses should've stopped though. He should have gotten some sort of professional help along the way. What was Steve going to do back then though? He was just a 12 year old kid, he wasn't going to get listened to.

"It's fine, just relax. Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen," Steve told himself standing up.

There was no clue as to how much time had passed when Steve decided to go back inside and slumber the couch. He was feeling exhausted though and the couch did feel pretty good. Sure enough, Steve felt relaxation overtake him and he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Steve woke up, he felt like he hadn't gotten any sleep. He felt exhausted. There was a lot of tossing and turning of his body and his mind. He just couldn't shake off what had happened between him and his dad. Did his dad even realize what he did? Or what his intentions were, or could've been? Or was he going to wake up this morning and not remember a thing? If he didn't remember, Steve hoped it'd be easy for him to just let it go and not worry about it anymore.

He sat up on the couch and found Darry and Ponyboy in the kitchen. Darry walked out with some coffee. "Oh, we didn't wake you did we?"

Steve shook his head, "I wasn't sleeping that well."

Pony walked out from the kitchen, "I have to head out for school."

"Do you want a ride?" Darry asked.

"No, I can walk," Pony replied putting his shoes on.

Darry pointed his cup of coffee at Ponyboy, "Do not smoke, you hear me? Otherwise you will be getting rides no matter what."

"I won't," Pony smirked opening the front door, "Bye guys."

"Bye," Darry said.

"See ya," Steve yawned, "Where's Soda?"

"I think he's moving around up there. How are you feeling? Do you want some breakfast or anything before I head out?"

"I'll just have some coffee, I'm going to need it," Steve commented. He wasn't a big coffee drinker, but his head was all over the place. Darry brought him a cup of coffee and joined him on the couch.

"Are you going to try talking to your dad today?"

Steve shrugged, "I'll probably call him later and see how he sounds. I'd rather talk to him sober, if I can catch the split minute that he is. I don't even know if he'll remember anything."

"That's true. You may be worrying about nothing if he doesn't recall it. Maybe it was a one time fluke, you know?"

"That's what I can hope for," Steve replied as they heard some thuds from upstairs, "Did you tell Soda?"

Darry shook his head, "I figured you can if you want." Darry left for work shortly after and Soda made his way downstairs.

"Steve? What are you doing here?" Soda asked looking surprised, "I didn't ask for a ride to work."

"No, I know. I just crashed here last night."

"Really? What time did you get here?"

"Darry was still up when I got here. Just got in a little scuffle with my dad and ended up walking here," Steve shrugged.

"Must have been pretty bad if you walked all the way here," Soda commented, "He must've been drinking pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah and we got in an argument," Steve shook at the thought of what came next.

"What?" Soda asked obviously noticing the nerves growing in Steve. He got up and went for the kitchen with Soda at his heels.

"I don't know, it was just weird. I haven't even put it together yet."

"Put what together?" Soda asked taking a seat.

"Well, I mean, normally when we argue...we just yell at each other until one of us storms out. That's all it's ever been. But last night, he got so mad at me he actually walked up on me and...I think he wanted to...well, he just grabbed me," Steve stuttered out.

"Grabbed you how?" Soda asked.

"Like just grabbed my shirt. I had no idea what was happening. Was he going to hit me or shake me or what?" Steve explained, "It's just never gotten to anything like that before."

Soda grabbed some chocolate milk and sat at the table, "Are you worried?"

"Darry didn't make it seem like I should be, but maybe I am a little. Maybe I'm just a little shook from it. It's one thing when a Soc grabs at you, but I never would've expected it from my dad. We just usually get along fine, we can just shake things off and move on. I let him do whatever and he leaves me alone. I'm trying to think maybe it's just because of my mom's anniversary, but Darry doesn't think I should give him excuses either, so I don't know how to feel about it," Steve ranted. He put his hand over his face. He felt like he went back and forth on himself with the situation and he wasn't sure where to go from there.

"Let's just go to work. Maybe you'll cool off from some distraction. You can try and talk to your dad later, alright?"

The boys began walking to work. Soda suggested getting Steve's car from his house, but Steve threw that idea away. He didn't feel right going to the house, even if his dad wasn't home. Thankfully, the DX gas station wasn't too far from the neighborhood. The weather was alright too. It wasn't too hot as fall was coming upon them. At the station, Soda was back and forth between the store and the garage. Steve was in the garage for the day doing some work. It was time for lunch and they walked across the street to a fast food joint.

"Have you tried calling your dad yet?" Soda asked stuffing down a burger. Steve just shook his head. The garage was being a good distraction, so he hadn't put too much thought into it. "Why don't you try when we get back? He's got to be at work, so he must be somewhat sober."

Steve nodded, "Yeah, you're right. What should I even say though?"

"Well," Soda took a sip from his shake, "Ask how he's feeling and ask if he wants to talk about last night. Or even tell him that you want to talk about last night."

"But what if he doesn't remember? I don't even know how to start telling him," Steve slouched in the booth. He didn't realize how hard this was going to be. He wasn't scared to talk to anyone, or tell anyone how it is, but this was just different. This was the first time in a long time Steve felt nerves talking about a sore subject.

"If you want to tell him, tell him. If he doesn't remember and you're unsure, then don't. We can worry about that later," Soda said getting up to put his tray away and throw away his trash.

When they got back, Steve went to the back of the DX store. He shut the door to use the phone in private. Dialing the number to Terrence's work, Steve awaited the ringing. The receptionist picked up.

"Hi," Steve cleared his throat. He was in it now and had to go through with it. He began rubbing his temple. "Hi Denise, it's Steve. Is my dad there?"

"Terrence?" Denise asked, "He went home sick today."

"Oh he did?" Steve asked feeling a slight relief.

"Yeah, he's actually been going home sick quite a bit lately. Is he doing alright?" Denise asked.

This was new to Steve, but he went along. "Um...yeah, I think he has this ongoing bug that keeps popping up. I'll check on him when I get home."

"Alright Steve," Denise said, "Have a good day."

Steve slowly hung up the phone. His dad's been going home sick lately? He hasn't really been home that much though. This is what Steve was afraid of. He walked out of the back and went to the garage where Soda was.

"Hey, how was it?"

"He wasn't there. Denise said he's been leaving work a lot lately, claiming to be sick," Steve said fiddling with some tools.

"Oh..." Soda trailed off.

"Yeah, maybe I'll try and find him later and talk to him about that. He can't be slacking off at work to drink. He could lose the house or something," Steve said pulling out a cigarette.

"Hey," Soda walked over and grabbed Steve's shoulders, "Don't worry about that right now. Just focus on talking to your dad. Maybe it's not as bad as you think." Steve took a long drag. Soda was just being nice.


	4. Chapter 4

When Steve first got home, he was welcomed by an empty house. He wasn't surprised. He figured he'd have to wait for his dad to get home from wherever he was. Of course, that meant the conversation wasn't going to go well. Oh well. Steve's slight anger and annoyance was starting to take over the uneasy feelings from last night. That should make it easier for him to confront his dad. Steve was worried what he was going to hear though, if Terrence even admitted anything. If he really was skipping work to escape life's struggles, did that mean their bills or the house were at risk? How long had he been ditching work and losing money for them? Was it just a matter of time before he'd make Steve be the financially responsible one? Steve didn't make nearly enough money for that. They always had a deal that Steve could keep his own money from work to use as he pleases. Most of it was being saved up to move out. Steve shook off the thoughts. He didn't know how bad it was yet, so he couldn't jump to crazy conclusions. He went upstairs to shower and change clothes while waiting.

Back at the Curtis house, Soda entered the kitchen where Darry was making dinner. "Darry?"

"What?" Darry asked.

"Can I talk to you?" Soda asked leaning against the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

"Yeah, sure." Soda peeked back at the living room. Ponyboy was doing his homework on the couch, so he was probably distracted enough to not really be listening. Soda took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well, you know why Steve came over last night," Soda began. Darry nodded. "He tried calling his dad at work, but he wasn't there."

"Where was he?" Darry asked, sounding confused, but honestly was waiting for things to come to this.

"We don't know. Someone said he left work sick, and that he's been doing it a lot lately," Soda commented looking down at his lap, "I think it worried Steve."

"I'm sure it did."

"Darry," Soda began, unsure how to ask the next question, "Do you...I mean, is it possible...I told Steve to not worry, but something is going on, isn't it?"

Darry sighed, "I think Terrence is going through a really hard time. And I told Steve this last night, that he's using alcohol to really escape it, but it is putting him down a dangerous path. I think we're starting to see the beginning. I didn't tell Steve that part really, but personally, I think it's going to get worst."

Before Soda could continue, the door swung open. "Hey Dally," the brothers heard Ponyboy greet.

"Hey kid," Dallas Winston replied as he walked into the kitchen, "Oh perfect, dinner time."

"I suppose you're eating with us?" Darry asked watching Dally help himself into the fridge.

"Of course, I got nowhere else to be," Dally smirked opening a beer.

"Are you crashing here?" Soda asked looking at Darry. Darry could tell Soda was slightly concerned if Steve would be showing up again tonight. Soda knew Steve was going to confront Terrence, but how it would go was another question.

"Probably. I told Two-Bit I was coming over, so he might show up," Dally said taking a seat next to Soda.

"So it's just a party now?" Darry asked, "It's not exactly the weekend."

"Oh calm down Darry, we aren't going to destroy your house."

Soda was still looking at Darry. He was still uneasy about the conversation. He didn't know if he was suppose to worry or wait for something to worry about. Darry could see the concern on his face and just said, "It'll be fine."

Soda looked down at the floor and nodded.

A couple hours later, Terrence Randle showed up at home. Steve listened from his bedroom. The door took a bit to close again, and he heard a thump, which was probably his dad stumbling into the wall or something. Steve rolled his eyes as he got up and went downstairs.

"Dad?" he called out. No one on the couch. He turned towards the kitchen and found his dad at the fridge. "Dad?"

"What?" he slurred.

"Where were you today?" Steve asked.

"Work." Steve rolled his eyes and prepared himself.

"Bullshit," Steve accused, "I tried calling you and Denise said you went home sick. Not true obviously."

Terrence stood up with a beer in his hand and shut the fridge, "Why in the hell are you calling my work? What business do you have doing that?"

"I was going to try and talk to you about last night," Steve said softening his tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember what happened last night?"

"When do I remember any night?" Terrence snapped, obviously getting annoyed.

Steve swallowed, "Well last night got me kind of shaken up, so I felt I needed some sort of closure."

"There was nothing different about last night than any other kind of night," Terrence said trying to figure out his vocabulary. Steve could clearly see he didn't have much concern over what did happen last night since he wasn't caring to ask.

Steve rolled his eyes, changing the subject, "Are you skipping work a lot now?"

"I did not skip work, I went to go feel better," Terrence argued.

"You can't be doing this. We need money, dad. And not only that, but alcohol is not going to get you through this."

"Get off my back, right now!"

"No, I think you need to hear this."

"Steve, I am your dad and I am telling you to stop!"

"You need to be put in your place!" Steve yelled.

"Get out of my sight!" Terrence yelled at the top of his lungs. He turned towards the cupboard.

"You can't drown your feelings with alcohol! You have to face mom's death!"

The second it slipped out of Steve's mouth, Terrence swung around and smacked Steve in the face.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve lost his balance from the shock and fell to the floor. He placed a hand on his face while looking back up at his dad.

Terrence's eyes widened as he looked down at his son on the floor, "Steve, I..." Before he could get anything else out, Steve leaped up and ran out the door. Steve hopped in his car this time and peeled down the road. He felt tears sting his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. His stomach dropped, but he swallowed hard to force anything back down. He tried to breathe, but it seemed no air could get in. Everything was happening too quickly, and Steve couldn't keep up with his body's reactions or his thought process.

Steve pulled in front of the Curtis house and stopped the car with a slam. He felt himself in a panic as he stumbled out of the car and raced to the front door. His vision was slightly in and out. He couldn't tell if it was tears, or because he was just going to slam down onto the ground. Honestly, passing out did not sound like a bad idea. Shoving the door open, he froze as he felt his face turn boiling hot. He quickly rubbed his eyes and just stood there with his mouth open.

In the living room was the whole gang. Steve must've been in such a daze, he hadn't noticed any extra cars around that he normally would've recognized. Dally, Two-Bit, and Soda were in the living room causing shenanigans before Steve busted in. Now they were staring up at him. Their expressions went from laughing and ready to say hi, to confusion and about to ask questions. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Darry were playing cards in the kitchen and also turned to look after hearing the door bust open. It got pretty quiet throughout the house. The TV was the only sound playing, but even that seemed to fade away into the uncertain silence.

"Sheesh, where's the fire?" Two-Bit smirked. He attempted to crack a small grin, but was still unsure of what was going on.

Steve slightly stepped back, unsure how to explain himself. Now he wanted to just run and hide. He wanted some magical force to happen that would wipe the gang's memories away. He even blinked hard a couple times to try and recreate the scene. It wasn't changing though. Steve was stuck in this present moment.

Soda could see the discomfort in his best friend. He got up and walked outside shutting the front door. "Steve, are you okay?"

"Sorry," Steve said running his shaky hand through his hair, "I-I didn't realize everyone was here."

Soda gave him a confused look, "So? It's not a big deal. What's going on?" Steve took a seat on the porch steps and put his face in his hands. He had no idea where to go with this. Soda took a seat next to him and waited.

They heard the front door crack open, "Are you guys okay?" It was Two-Bit.

"Yeah, we'll be right in," Soda answered and the door shut.

"Damnit, now I got to explain myself to everybody," Steve said through his hands.

"No," Soda replied, "You don't have to if you don't want to. Just tell me what happened. Did you and your dad get in a yelling match again?" Steve nodded. "Did he grab you again?" Steve shook his head. Soda changed his position to sitting in front of Steve. He cocked his head to attempt eye contact. "Steve, what happened?"

Inside, Two-Bit Mathews walked into the kitchen. "I don't know what's going on. They're just sitting on the porch."

"Deal Two-Bit in," Darry said towards Johnny. He got up from the table and had Two-Bit take his place.

"Do you guys know what's going on?" Two-Bit asked with slight concern. Both the boys shook their heads.

"He did spend the night last night," Pony commented, "He got here pretty late."

Darry walked outside and stood above Soda and Steve. "Tell me," Darry said towards Steve in a demanding tone, "Did it happen?"

Steve slowly took his face from his hands and looked up at the oldest brother. It was starting to vanish, but there was a slight print of red on his cheek. Darry's eyes had a rage in them, just like how they get whenever Johnny gets a bad beating from his dad. Soda peeked over and placed his hand over his mouth. "No," he mumbled, "He wouldn't do that. That's not..."

"Go inside," Darry said.

"But Darry," Soda argued, wanting to be by his best friend.

"Just for a minute," Darry said with a raised voice. He didn't mean to get rough on his little brother, but he felt anger raise inside him. Soda reluctantly got up and went back inside. Darry couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't want to believe it, and he didn't want his little brothers best friend to be going through it.

"What's going on?" Dally asked Soda when he walked inside.

Soda sighed angrily, unsure what he was suppose to say, "Just troubles at the Randle house."

"Should we be worried?" Two-Bit asked walking out of the kitchen.

"I don't know yet," Soda said. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It was a different anger than Johnny getting hit though. Johnny Cade and Steve Randle were two very different people. Johnny was very accepting of help. He'd come over and stay for days. His parents didn't care, and Johnny didn't care. He wasn't stubborn like Steve, and Soda could already sense the fight it would take to fix this.

There was probably no fooling the gang either. There could only be so many things to go wrong in Steve's life to cause this much worry. Soda didn't really have to paint a picture as he could see Two-Bit and Dally's faces appear more angry as well.

"I think I need to have a chat with your dad," Darry said outside.

"No!" Steve yelled, probably a little too loudly, "It wasn't even that big of a deal. I've been punched harder by Socs."

"Lay off the bullshit Steve. This isn't a gang rumble that you got caught in, this is your dad. In your own home. This is exactly what I was worried about happening, and it's not going to get any better."

"Stop it," Steve begged. He just wanted to go back home, go to bed, and pretend nothing even happened. He shouldn't have left, then no one would have found out. "You guys don't go running over to the Cade house whenever Johnny gets hit."

"Johnny doesn't make excuses. Johnny listens to us and barely goes home now. It may still happen from time to time, but we've done what we can about Johnny's situation," Darry said angrily. He tried changing his tone, knowing yelling at Steve wouldn't help. "And this isn't Johnny, this is about you. You know I'm right Steve. Your dad needs help before it gets worst," Darry warned.

Steve pulled out a cigarette and lit up. He needed to calm his nerves before he turned a punch on the house. "You are just overreacting, it's not going to turn into something...I think I'm going home," he stood up.

"Steve..."

"No, I'm not talking to everyone right now." Steve got in his car and drove off. He wasn't really going to go home, at least not yet, but he did need to be alone.

Darry walked back into the house.. He tried shaking it off and just letting it go for now. He wanted to believe that maybe he was overreacting, but deep down he knew he wasn't. 'Lord, please let me be wrong,' he thought to himself.

"Where is he?" Soda asked in the middle of the living room. He obviously had been pacing.

"I'm not sure," Darry replied.

"Okay, can we stop beating around the bush here, what the hell is going on?" Dallas demanded.

"Okay look," Darry began as everyone listened in, "Well, I don't know if everyone realizes it, but Steve's mom's 10 year anniversary is coming up. Terrence isn't handing it well, I mean he's never been a role model dad by any means, but they've dealt with it. He seems to be drinking more than usual, I know he's apparently skipped out at work a few times. There is just a lot of shit going on. Anyway, they had a little scuffle last night and it looks like today he actually hit Steve. He didn't tell me exactly what happened or what caused it, but...it happened."

Dallas Winston, who had a very close, protective relationship with Johnny, shot up from the couch and marched out the back door. He was going to be damned if he let anything happen to another friend. Everyone figured to just leave him alone for a few minutes. With Soda being Steve's best friend, his rage on the situation and thinking of what could become of it, his feelings were very similar to Dally's. The whole gang was on edge. They didn't need to see anything happen to another gang member.

"I will say this," Darry added, "It wasn't that bad. He's not exactly beat up or bruised up or anything. It looked more like a good smack. But...we all know sometimes it just doesn't end that way. And I'm worried for Steve."

Everyone agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Read and review! :)

Johnny was the first to step out to the backyard to check on Dally. He found Dally sitting in the grass smoking a cigarette. One cigarette wasn't going to calm Dally's nerves. Johnny knew that the best out of anyone. He also knew if anyone was going to get Dally a little more leveled, it was him.

"Are you okay?" Johnny sat next to him and pulled out his own cigarette.

"Of course not," Dally snapped taking a long drag. He didn't mean to snap at Johnny, but Johnny didn't take offence to it anyway. "This shit ain't right Johnny. I can't have another one of us getting hurt like that. Do you remember..."

Johnny stopped him, "Yes."

Dally looked down at his little buddy, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I get it. Everyone watched the road I went down. It's okay though, because now I have this house or even Two-Bit's house to escape to when it's needed. I'm almost barely home anymore and don't go through it as much. You guys really helped me and were there for me. I got through it, still do, and Steve will too."

"Yeah well, Steve unfortunately won't fix it as easily."

"Huh?" Johnny asked.

"Steve is the most stubborn ass of all of us. Even worst than me. Us trying to get him help is going to be a battle."

"Maybe it won't get like my house," Johnny suggested, "Darry said it was barely a punch."

"No, you're right, it won't get like your house," Dally agreed, "It'll get worse than that, because Steve's dad is going through something feeding into his shit. Your parents never went through anything. They've always been like that. They hit each other and then you when you got of an 'appropriate age' to also hit from time to time. That was my house too. My parents just weren't right in the head. I've seen it plenty in New York what happens in cases like Steve's dad." Dally stood up and put out the cigarette under his food. "But maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

"Where are you going?"

"Buck's."

Johnny went back inside after his cigarette. Just the Curtis brothers sat in the living room. Sodapop looked stressed. Ponyboy looked confused and was trying to be distracted by the TV. Darry sat in his armchair leaning his head on his fist. Clearly there was a lot on everyone's mind, but no one was talking. It was also clear that everyone wanted to go do something about the situation, but no one was doing anything. Maybe no one knew what to do, yet.

"Where's Two-Bit?" Johnny asked.

"He went to go find Steve," Soda said. He was slightly bitter, because Darry wouldn't let him go look. Darry knew that Soda's 'looking' would mean going to the Randle household and getting in a fight with Terrence. With that, nothing else could seem to be done at the moment, so Johnny took a seat next to Pony.

Two-Bit drove around town. He started at the Randle household and was somewhat relieved to find Steve didn't go home. It took a lot of Two-Bit not to go in the house and confront Terrence. He shook his head. Were they overreacting? Darry had said it was barely a hit, not even a bruise. But the gang had seen some instances, not just Johnny, where that was only the beginning. The gang couldn't help but worry about what this could mean. Two-Bit also couldn't get it out of his head the way Steve was acting. The way he entered the house, the look he had on his face, the embarrassment and fear on him, Two-Bit just couldn't help but think there was something more to it. That's what had everyone worried.

After some driving around, Two-Bit found Steve at the park. He sat on top of the monkey bars smoking a cigarette. It was getting rather dark out. "Hey," Two-Bit said getting under the monkey bars.

Steve looked down, "Hi."

"You going to come down or should I come up?" Two-Bit asked. Steve just shrugged. "Guess I'm coming up. I'm not very fit to climb though, so give me a minute to risk my life for you." Unfortunately, Steve didn't even smirk at the comment. "Stubborn ass," Two-Bit muttered as he got to the top.

At the top, Two-Bit couldn't help but glance at Steve's face right away. There wasn't any obvious mark. Surprisingly, that gave Two-Bit a little hope. Maybe it wasn't anything to worry over.

"What?" Steve asked, already knowing why Two-Bit was looking for him.

"Darry told us all what happened," Two-Bit said, "Are you okay?"

Steve looked down towards the ground, "I just don't know what happened Two-Bit. Last night he grabbed me out of rage, and I...I got..."

"You got scared," Two-Bit finished for him.

Steve didn't acknowledge it, "I didn't know what he wanted to do to me. Then tonight he actually..." Steve took a drag off his cigarette.

"You know we're all going to be here for you, okay? No matter what happens. Whether this turns into something or nothing."

Steve took a breath and closed his eyes, pushing any tears away, "I don't know why I'm so shaken by this. It makes no sense."

"I'm sure it would shake anyone, man. Do you want to come back to Soda's? I'm sure you can sleep there again."

Steve nodded, "Okay."

It was getting late when Darry and Pony went to bed. Two-Bit and Johnny left not too long ago. Soda and Steve decided to play some cards in the living room.

"So what happened?" Soda asked dealing the cards. He knew he was the one who would have to get Steve to talk. Steve didn't _really _to anyone else. He didn't confide in anyone else or tell anyone the true details. Only Soda.

Steve shrugged, "I just confronted him about last night and about him skipping out on his job. It was out of nowhere he just smacked me. I was shocked, because...I just completely fell down. He tried talking to me, but I just ran off. I couldn't stay. I...I still can't figure out how to feel or what happened. I don't know Sodapop, I just don't know."

"Darry wants to go talk to him."

"No," Steve shut down the idea.

"You know he's like an older brother to all of us," Soda said softly, "He just wants to help."

Steve shook his head, "I need to talk to him first."

Soda sighed, "Fine, you can talk to him. But you do have me and Darry right behind you if you need us. Darry could even go with you to talk to him?"

"No, I better do this on my own. Now can we just play cards?"

Soda smiled, "Yeah."

After about an hour of game play, the boys got ready for bed. "I'm never playing cards with you again," Steve commented.

"What the hell?" Soda exclaimed, "You won!"

"Only because I kept catching you in a cheat!"

Soda shook his head as he went upstairs, "No idea what you're talking about sore winner."

As Steve got comfortable on the couch, he couldn't help but feel wide awake. He ran a hand through his hair and did some deep breathing. He closed his eyes and tried to picture something else, anything else.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to all my readers so far! Thanks for the review!

The next morning, Steve didn't waste time heading for home. He wanted to try and catch his dad sober, or at least not drinking. He also wanted to try and get there before he scared himself out of it. Darry offered to go, but Steve wanted to do this by himself. He wanted to stop giving the impression he couldn't handle this, or that it was a big deal. It was simply an accident, Steve finally convinced himself. It will be forgotten and everyone can move on.

Arriving at home, Steve was happy to see his dad's car was there. He opened the front door and walked inside. The scene in the house was slightly surprising and took Steve off guard. Terrence was at the kitchen table. There was a coffee cup in front of him. It was quiet and still inside the house. Steve didn't know what to expect himself to walk into, but he hadn't expected that. He had put a guard up for the talk he'd have to have with his dad, but that didn't seem to have to be the case. When Terrence heard the door open, he looked up.

"Steve," he said, sounding down.

"Hey," Steve greeted, now beginning to feel the fear. He didn't know what to expect at this point.

"Come here," Terrence motioned towards the table, "Please."

Steve took a breath. He stepped in, closed the door, and slowly made his way to a chair. He sat down and watched his dad. Terrence just looked down at his coffee, took a sip, then stared at the table. He wouldn't even look at Steve. It was just silent. Steve couldn't help, but start fiddling with his fingers. The silence lasted a while. Was he going to apologize? Was he going to blame Steve for pushing him to that point? Was he going to just get up and ignore everything?

"I've been up most of the night and this morning trying to figure out what to say once you came home, _if _you ever came home," Terrence admitted, "I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't come home."

"Dad..."

Terrence put his hand up for him to stop, "Just let me talk, please."

Steve sat back in his chair and waited.

"I've been having such a hard time lately. Your mom, you know? I was so miserable when she died. I didn't think I'd get through it. A few years passed, and I was doing okay. Then the five year mark hit and I don't know what happened. People kept talking about it and asking about it, so memories came to me and I had a breakdown. Then the next few years were okay. But now...this has gotten out of control for me. The nine years hit and it started. Everyone made comments about a decade. And it just didn't seem to stop. For a couple months it was talked about, then it stopped, and now the past few months it's been brought back up. I can't seem to escape it. You just don't get over your wife's death, and I'm sure you haven't gotten over it either. I just wish people would stop talking about it. I just want people to shut the hell up!" Terrence slammed his fists on the table, "It's causing me to drink and make terrible choices. And then last night..." He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Steve, I never _ever _thought I would ever do that. Not to you. I regretted it immediately. Everything that has been getting to me, because of everyone else, I took out on you. I...I can never say sorry enough. I'll never forgive myself for that."

Steve looked up, "Dad, it's okay."

"No, it's not. I cannot believe I let things get out of control like that. I know...we aren't perfect, this house isn't perfect, and I'm not perfect. But I always thought we got along okay, right?"

Steve gulped away any comments he could've said to change the tone of the conversation. "Yeah dad, it's been fine," he lied.

"I-I want to fix it. I want to fix everything, I have to. I want to do better," Terrence choked through tears.

Steve nodded, "I can help you."

Terrence smiled, "I'd like that."

After their conversation, Steve still didn't feel the greatest about being at home. He felt better, but still felt off. He decided to go out for a drive and ended up at the cemetery. Walking around for a bit, he reached his mother's headstone. He sat down and just stared at it. He really hoped his dad would keep his promise. The conversation seemed sincere and Terrence seemed to regret what happened. In fact, they have never had a conversation like that before. Terrence never took it upon himself to accept such faults. That was a big change of pace that couldn't be ignored. Steve thought that should be it then. The incident was just an accident, it can be forgotten, and moved on. So, why didn't Steve feel any better?

The rest of the day, Steve spent driving around. He made random stops. He just didn't want to see anyone. He was trying to sort out his feelings and thoughts, but just couldn't get himself to a point where he felt confident. "Maybe I just need to get out and do something." If energy was building up in Steve, he could get pretty antsy.

That night, he settled on going to the drag races. The action was already crazy when he arrived. He liked it that way. Maybe he would do a race.

"Hey Steve!"

Steve turned and saw Two-Bit and Dally coming up from behind him.

"We figured you might show up here," Two-Bit said.

"Seems obvious, doesn't it?" Steve grinned. If he wanted to be _alone _alone, as in somewhere where he might not know people that would just walk up to him, the drag track wasn't the best choice.

"How is it going?" Two-Bit asked.

Steve nodded, "I went and talked to my dad. He apologized and said he wants to try and fix everything." Steve couldn't help, but notice Dally roll his eyes.

"That's good, right?" Two-Bit tried having a different vibe about it, whether he was being truthful or not. Steve could sense it though. He could sense Two-Bit and Dally wanted to call Terrence's bullshit out. Maybe that's why Steve didn't feel confident about it all. Deep down he knew his friends weren't going to believe it, so why should he?

"I don't know," Steve admitted, "I don't know how I feel about it yet."


	8. Chapter 8

A couple days past and they weren't very eventful. Steve was able to stay at home, but he still felt uneasy there. Him and his dad didn't talk too much. Terrence tried to have some conversation, but he wasn't completely keeping his promise on fixing things. He was still drinking. It was a little less, but Steve was bothered that he was trying so hard to hide it. He wasn't owning up to it. Maybe that's what was keeping Steve from having settled talks with his dad. His 'promise' he made didn't last long, at all.

One day after work, Steve went to the Curtis house with Soda. It was just Darry and Ponyboy there when they arrived. Steve and Soda grabbed a deck of cards and decided to play some one-on-one poker at the coffee table. Steve needed to get his dad off his mind for a while.

"How's it been going at home?" Soda asked. Steve should've known Soda would ask.

Steve shrugged, "I don't know."

"Has anything happened?"

Steve shook his head, "Nothing like that. It's just...I know he's still drinking. And I say things about it, sort of, but he denies it. I'd be more willing to work with him if he was honest and we could figure out a plan, but he isn't admitting it. It's not as much as he used to drink, but the fact is he is drinking still. So, I don't know, he's not really fixing anything."

"Is he going to work?"

"It seems like he is. But I don't have any proof either," Steve said with slight frustration, "And I know a habit of an alcoholic is hiding it, so I mean..."

"Give it some time?" Soda suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess. Maybe I'll try and actually sit with him and talk about it."

The next day, Steve hung out at home alone. He wanted to talk with his dad as soon as he got home from work. Four o'clock arrived, and Steve was expecting him home any time within the hour. Five o'clock arrived, and Steve waited on the living room couch. Seven o'clock arrived, and Steve was peeking out the window from time to time. Nine o'clock arrived and Steve was pacing.

"What are you doing?" Of course, Steve's mind went to the worst scenario. He hadn't been out late for those couple of days. Steve sat on the couch and planted his face in his hands. Was his dad going back to his ways? Was he too late to have this talk with him? "No," Steve told himself, "I will have this talk with him. It needs to happen."

Eleven o'clock arrived, midnight arrived, and soon enough it was close to one o'clock in the morning.

Steve was sitting at the kitchen table tapping his foot. He couldn't help but feel angry. He didn't want to, especially when he didn't know what his dad was doing. It seemed obvious, but Steve tried convincing himself it could be something else. "Something else that takes until the middle of the night," Steve mumbled to himself, "Don't be stupid."

Finally, Steve heard a car pull up. He took a deep breath. "Don't start out mad," Steve told himself. He knew that was a bad habit of himself. He didn't exactly have the coolest temper.

However, the front door was slammed open, hard. It made Steve jump, as he didn't expect it, and it didn't help him start off calm. A wobbly Terrence Randle made his way in the house. Steve looked down at the tabletop. He felt disappointment and anger rise in him.

"Where have you been?" Steve said with a low tone, still not looking up. Maybe if he didn't look at him, he could keep himself together.

"Oh come on Steve," Terrence rolled his eyes, "We've been having a good few days...don't be going back...to that shit."

Steve looked up at his father. He folded his hands together and just sighed. "The past few days weren't horrible, I know, but I know you still haven't quit drinking."

"I didn't say I was going to do that," Terrence slurred, "You can't really...expect me to quit...quit completely, quit the whole thing."

"You wanted to make things better, and that would've been a good start. Now you're coming home late and drunk again," Steve stood up from the table, "And I don't want to stay here for it." He decided the best decision for him to make was to just leave. Steve headed for the front door, but Terrence pushed him away slowly.

"Where do you think...you think you're going?"

"Anywhere, but here," Steve tried pushing his way past his father.

"No you're not," Terrence grabbed Steve by the arm and tightened his grip.

Steve closed his eyes, feeling a flash of the other night come before his eyes, "Let go of me." How could someone so drunk be able to hold such a grip?

Suddenly, Terrence shoved Steve down onto the floor and slammed the front door shut. "I don't think so! I am the dad of the house, and you are-are just the kid! You will listen to me and do as I say!"

Steve had never seen his father's eyes like that before. They had a change in them. It wasn't rage or just a lousy drunkenness to them. It was something else. It made Steve freeze on the floor. He had no idea what his father's intentions were at that point. He didn't want to know, he didn't want to find out, he just wanted to get out the door.

"Go to your room!" Terrence barked, pointing up the stairs, "Now!"

Steve didn't waste a second. He scrambled to his feet and hurried up the stairs. Slamming his bedroom door shut, he got in his bed and just laid there. The rest of the night, Steve didn't hear anything out of his father.

Steve didn't sleep a second that night. He didn't feel comfortable enough to sleep. He was confused, and admittedly scared. There wasn't even anger in him anymore. There wasn't anything to be angry at, just something to fear, the uncertainty. He kept peeking at his clock, waiting for it to be ready to go to work. Seven o'clock hit, and Steve got out of bed and made his way to the shower. He wasn't sure if his dad ever came up to bed, or if he passed out on the couch. Steve didn't wait to find out. At that moment, his mission was to just get out of the house. He had never felt so scared in his own home.

The shower was in record time. Steve dressed before he was even completely dried. He combed his hair back in his swirls and greased it up. Peeking down the stairs, Steve didn't see anything on the part of the couch he could see. He took his chances and went downstairs. The couch was empty. Taking a sigh of relief, Steve got himself to the fridge to grab a couple bananas for his ride. As he turned the corner of the kitchen, he jumped. Terrence was at the bottom of the stairs. His face was blank. Not happy, or hurting from drinking last night. Just blank. Steve swallowed hard.

"Where are you going?"

"I, um, have to work," Steve said. He refused to blink.

"You better not be lying to me," Terrence took a step forward.

Steve shook his head.

"What time are you off?"

"Three," Steve replied.

"I expect you home by 3:30 at the latest," Terrence commented, beginning to turn to go back upstairs.

Steve's mouth opened, and closed, then opened again, "Well, I wasn't sure if I was coming straight home?" Steve never had rules like that. He just did whatever he wanted. Terrence never paid enough attention to Steve's whereabouts. Honestly, Steve figured his father didn't care.

"Yes you are, boy!" Terrence barked from the top of the stairs.

Steve jumped a little and said no more. He hurried out of the house and went to work.


	9. Chapter 9

A couple hours into Steve's shift, Soda showed up for his. He hopped out of Darry's truck and walked into the garage. "Hey Steve," he greeted.

"Hey," Steve greeted back.

"How's it going?" Soda asked.

Steve just stared at Soda with his mouth slightly opened. He wasn't sure what to say. Soda's happy face slowly turned into a concerned face. "Come into the store." Steve followed Sodapop into the store area of the gas station. He wasn't sure what he was actually going to say to Soda. He was still confused about what had happened. "What happened?" Soda asked getting behind the register, expecting the worst. Steve joined him there and sat on the stool.

"I...I don't know Soda."

"Did he touch you?" Soda asked quietly.

Steve thought for a second. He did get pushed, but he didn't want to make a big deal out of that. "No," he lied, "But something's different about him."

"What do you mean?"

"He came home in the middle of the night. I tried leaving the house, because I just didn't want to deal with him. He was way drunk, like back to his usual self. He didn't let me leave though. He said he's the dad and I'm just the kid, so I have to go to bed. It was so bizarre. I just sat in my bed all night, because I didn't know what was going on with him. Then this morning I got ready for work, and after I told him when I was done with work, he said I had to come home. I can't go out and do anything else."

"Is he just...trying to be a parent?" Soda asked, counting the money in the drawer. He wasn't sure how to take Steve's description of the situation. As Steve had said, it sounded bizarre.

Steve was silent for a moment. "No. There was just something...different."

Soda turned to him, sensing Steve's tension, "Are you going to go home? You can come over if you feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I think I should come over," Steve shook it off, "Maybe he was still drunk this morning." Soda looked at his best friend. Things were just getting more and more off. Soda was beginning to wonder if Darry could be right about the direction this situation was going.

Darry picked Soda up for lunch. They invited Steve along as they went over to the Tasty Freeze. Soda wasn't sure if Steve wanted to talk about what happened at his house, but he wasn't going to give him much choice. He certainly wanted to talk to Darry about it.

"So, what's new?" Darry asked the boys after they ordered their food. Soda looked at Steve. With a groan, Steve regretted going along for the lunch invite, but he went ahead and told Darry about last night and this morning. Darry's expression didn't change much. That worried Soda. Was it because he wasn't surprised? Or was he just trying to not overreact towards Steve? The waitress brought their food over and the boys began digging in. "Well, you know you're welcome over."

"Thank you," Steve said tossing his napkin on the table, "I'm going to the bathroom." He left with a slight huff.

"He's mad," Soda said.

"He didn't want to talk about it?" Darry guessed.

"I was going to tell you if he didn't," Soda shrugged, "So it wouldn't have mattered. So what do you think about it all though? I told Steve maybe he was just trying to be a parent with telling him to come home after work?"

Darry eyed his little brother, "Sodapop, I do love you, and I know you aren't the brightest bulb..."

"Thank you," Soda sarcastically grinned.

"...but, you can't be that naive."

Soda shook his head as he took a sip of his Coke, "No. I'm not. I just don't think I understood what he was telling me. It didn't sound...bad or abusive."

"No, it doesn't," Darry agreed, "But, I also don't think we understand what was seen through Steve's eyes either. If Steve thought..."

Steve brushed by from behind Darry.

"Where are you going?" Soda asked. Steve didn't answer. They watched as he walked outside and lit a cigarette. Soda felt a little bad. He was mad at Soda for making him talk.

Darry continued, "If Steve thought Terrence was just trying to be a parent, changing his ways like he promised, Steve would've said that. I think there's more to it, or there's something he's not telling us. And don't forget, there is such thing as emotional and mental abuse. It's all just as bad as the physical."

"Do you think Terrence would do anything if Steve came over? Do you think we should really be convincing him to come over and maybe piss off his dad?"

"Honestly," Darry wiped his hands with a napkin, "I don't think his home is any safer at the moment. So I don't think there's anything for him to lose. I'd almost rather Steve stay with us until I get a chance to talk to Terrence." Soda agreed. After a few minutes, Steve walked back inside and took his seat and returned to his food.

"I'm sorry," Soda apologized.

"Just let me eat," Steve groaned. Darry and Soda talked about other subjects while Steve finished his food. Once the bill was paid, Darry dropped the boys off at the DX to finish their shifts.

"Steve, I am sorry, but it was either you or me to talk," Soda said as soon as Darry drove off.

"I know, I know. I don't like talking," Steve said.

Soda rolled his eyes, "Can you not be stubborn?"

"Can you not care?" Steve threw back, heading for the garage. Soda stood there and crossed his arms. Steve threw his head back and turned back around. "I'm kidding," Steve grinned.

"I hate you," Soda chuckled, "You are a hard friend to deal with."

"But it's worth it."

"No further comments," Soda rolled his eyes.

Steve punched out at three. Soda still had an hour before he was done. "Do you want to hang out until I'm done?" Soda asked as Steve approached the register.

"Sure, we can just ride to your house together." Soda grabbed a deck of cards from behind the register and began dealing. It was a little slower that day. Soda hoped back at the house, Darry could talk to Steve more and maybe convince him to not worry about going home for the time being. Hopefully he would accept Darry's invitation to talk to Terrence.

Four o'clock came and Soda began collecting the cards. "I'm going to hit the restroom before we leave," Steve said. Before Soda went to punch out, he glanced out the window.

"What?" he mumbled as he saw Terrence's car pull up in front of the store. He gulped. He wanted to believe Terrence was just trying to be a parent, but he couldn't help but feel a little worried as to why he was suddenly there. Watching as Terrence exited the car and walked through the entrance, Soda pulled his composure together.

"Hello Sodapop," he greeted.

"Hello, sir," Soda said with his best fake-smile. He hoped Terrence wouldn't see how uneasy he felt. What was he going to say to him?

He looked around the store. Soda bit his lower lip, hoping Steve would take his time in the bathroom. "Where's Steve?" Terrence asked turning back towards Soda.

"Um, Steve?" Soda scratched his head.

"He told me he was done with work an hour ago and I asked him to be home," Terrence explained, seeming polite, "Do you know where he is?"

Soda took a quick peek outside, "Um..." He didn't see Steve's car. He must have parked it behind the garage. Soda took his chances for the lie. "Steve stayed a little late, but he did head out about a half hour ago," he scratched his cheek, "I'm not too sure where he went. He just said bye and took off. Maybe he's hanging out with Two-Bit or something?"

Terrence smiled, "Thank you Soda. I just wanted him home for some time together, you know? He's having such a tough time, with Eliza's anniversary coming up. I've been trying to help him."

Soda nodded, very confused by what was going on, "Yeah."

"Well, I'll look around a little bit and check back at home," Terrence headed back for the door, "Thank you, son."

"Have a good day, sir." Soda watched him get in his car and drive off.

Within seconds, Steve stepped out of the bathroom. He seemed shocked, or mad, or both.

"Did you hear?"

Steve nodded as he got to the counter. "That..." Steve pointed towards the window, "is not the man who has been at my house."

"I was going to say he seemed just fine," Soda said looking out the window, "He was very polite."

Steve shook his head, "That was definitely an act."

"What would he need to act for?" Soda wondered.

Steve shrugged.


	10. Chapter 10

Steve and Soda got back to the Curtis household. Darry felt some relief seeing Steve with his little brother. He just wasn't sure how to feel about Terrence's behavior right now. Darry knew Terrence wasn't always an A+ dad, but no one ever had to worry about Steve's safety. Was he neglected by his dad? Yes, but Steve knew he still had it pretty well and refused to complain. 'Maybe that's why he's struggling to come to terms with this,' Darry thought to himself. He wanted a chance to talk to Terrence himself. Steve was just another little brother to Darry, a family member to the gang, his brother's best friend, and Darry would always take care of him. He would stand up for anyone in the gang who couldn't stand up for themselves, or needed help taking their stand. He felt that title before his parents even died, and then when they did, Darry felt a stronger urge to protect everyone in the gang.

"Hey guys," Darry greeted getting up from his armchair, "I was just going to start making dinner."

"What? It's not ready for me already as I enter my throne?" Soda grinned.

Darry threw the newspaper at Soda, "There won't be any for you with that smart ass remark!"

"Okay, okay, okay! Please make me dinner, I'm just a poor little boy," Soda stuck out his lower lip, "Is that better? Did you just want to see me beg?"

"Something like that," Darry chuckled.

"Hey Steve, let's shoot some hoops. Go get the basketball in the back and I'll meet you out there." Soda followed Darry into the kitchen while Steve went out the backdoor. "Darry, you will not believe what happened at work."

"What?" Darry asked noticing the serious concern in Soda's tone.

"Steve stayed at work for the last hour of my shift since he was planning to come over. Nothing really unusual right? But before we got ready to leave, he goes into the bathroom and his dad shows up completely out of the blue. He never comes to the DX. I mean, he does when he needs gas or something, but he never really comes into the store for small talk, you know?"

"Okay?" Darry answered for him to continue.

"He comes in and asks if Steve left, because he was suppose to be off for a while by then. I guess he was pretty serious about Steve going straight home from work. I was able to lie and say he was gone though, because his car was behind the garage, so he couldn't see it anyway."

"Was he mad?" Darry asked putting a couple of pans onto the stove.

Soda shook his head, "That was the weird thing. He was so polite and so nice, and said he wanted to just spend some time with Steve, because Steve was having a really hard time with the 10 year anniversary coming up for Eliza. Like, I don't know Darry, even if Steve hadn't told us the things happening lately, I still would've been weirded out. I've never seen Terrence like that, ever. He was just trying so hard to play off this...nicest, most concerned dad in the world look. Like he thought I wouldn't have thought anything of it."

"Did you tell Steve?"

"Well Steve walked out of the bathroom after he left. He heard the whole thing from the bathroom. He said so himself, that is not the man he's been around lately," Soda said, "It was just so bizarre."

"Is he going to stay here tonight?"

Soda shrugged, "I hope so."

The backdoor suddenly opened and Steve poked his head in. "You know, it's obvious what you're talking about. You can talk about it to my face."

"It's okay, Steve," Darry said.

Steve sighed and looked at Soda, "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Soda went out the door. He felt bad for making Steve irritated lately, but they just wanted to help him. Soda had to tell Darry about this, because he didn't even know how to help Steve this time.

Darry began dinner. He knew why Steve was being so short with them. He never cared to talk about anything going wrong in his life, and he wasn't the first guy jumping for help. Usually, Darry would just wait for Steve to finally give in and tell Soda. He only trusted Soda with his problems. Soda was a good friend too, he never spoke about anything to anyone else, even Darry. And Darry was usually fine with not knowing, at least Steve had somebody to go to. This was different though. Darry had a strange feeling that he needed to get himself involved and was glad Soda was being open with him about everything. While Darry was making dinner, there was a knock at the door. Darry wiped off his hands with confusion. It obviously wasn't any of the gang, they would've walked right in. Opening the door, Terrence Randle stood on the porch. Darry kept his firm stance, but inside he felt caught off guard. He couldn't remember the last time Terrence came over to their house. Maybe when Soda and Steve were much younger?

"Hello Darrel," he greeted, extending his hand.

"Hello Mr. Randle," Darry shook his hand, "How can I help you?"

"Well, I see Steve is here. I told him to come home after work," Terrence pointed to Steve's car, "So can I talk to him, please?" Soda was right, he was being oddly polite. He was trying pretty hard to come off as a gentleman. It didn't make sense why. The Curtis family has known the Randle family for years. They all knew who Terrence was. They all knew Terrence's personality. Who was he trying to fool, and why?

"Actually, Mr. Randle, I asked Steve to come here after work. I needed him to look at a pipe in the bathroom, so he's digging around under our sink right now," Darry lied. Terrence looked down at the porch and lightly kicked at it. "I'm sorry Mr. Randle, it is completely my fault. I had no idea he needed to be home, he said he was willing to help."

Terrence nodded, "He should've told you he needed to go home after work." Darry noticed he bit his bottom lip, like he was trying not to lose his temper.

"I understand. Like I said, it was my fault. I will send him home as soon as he's done."

"Mhmm," Terrence turned to leave.

"See you later, Mr. Randle." Terrence just waved as he continued to walk to his truck. Darry stayed at the door until he saw his truck out of view. He decided he definitely needed to have a conversation with Terrence, but that was not the time. It had to be where Steve wouldn't be present at all.

Within seconds, another car pulled into the driveway. It was Two-Bit's car, and Dally was with him. "What's up Darry? Guarding your house like a good boy?" Two-Bit laughed.

"Perfect timing, I smell food," Dally commented clapping his hands together.

Darry grinned at the two. He didn't say anything to them about Terrence. He just took the jokes on himself for standing outside the house. Once dinner was finished, Darry gathered everyone to get food. Soda, Dally, Two-Bit and Ponyboy sat in the living room. Darry decided to sit in the kitchen, and to his surprise, Steve joined him.

"Don't be mad at Soda for telling me everything," Darry said, "I am his big brother and he just trusts me to help you. This shouldn't be taken so lightly."

"It's okay, I'm not mad," Steve took a drink of his beer, "Soda and I heard some talking from the front yard while we were in the back. It was my dad, wasn't it?"

Darry wiped his mouth with a napkin, "Yeah, it was."

"What did he say?"

"He asked to talk to you and that he wanted you home. I lied though, told him I asked you to look at something and fix it for us," Darry shrugged.

"How did he seem? Like how did he say everything?"

Darry shook his head, "Soda told me something was just off about him at the DX, and I believe him. I wouldn't have lied if I didn't have a reason to."

Steve looked down at his plate. Darry knew that meant he had to step up and just offer help.

"It's okay, Steve. You can stay here tonight. I want to talk with him though, in private."

"I think if I stay here it'll make things worse for me."

"Steve, I will keep you safe. You have my word," Darry promised, "Now it's not an offer, it's a demand, you are staying here tonight."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you for the continued support! It means so much! Feel free to leave a review :)

The next day Steve had work off. He woke up really early, before anyone else. He decided to sneak out of the Curtis home without telling anyone and drive home. Steve knew Darry and Soda didn't want him to go home right away, but he had a feeling his father was already over-the-edge mad, and not going home wasn't going to help. He had already risked a lot. Maybe talking to Terrence would help. Something was clearly going on with his father, and Steve wanted to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to fix it and move on.

Steve pulled up to his house, and saw his father's truck there. He took the key out of the ignition and waited. He didn't know what he was exactly waiting for. His bottom just felt stuck to his seat. Fear's hands holding onto his legs and keeping them from being able to move. There was a feeling in him that his father was going to walk out, like he had been watching, just waiting for Steve to get home through the night. As Steve waited, nothing happened. He took in a deep breath. "Now or never, I guess," he told himself as he got himself off the seat and exited the car. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and hold.

His feet became stuck to the driveway. It felt like forever for Steve to get the courage for the first step towards the front door. He couldn't help, but feel scared. Throughout the night, Steve had formed a plan on how he was going to handle this morning with Terrence, but he had no idea what he was about to actually walk into. The confidence level of his plan went from full-proof to barely any existence. Breathe out.

The air felt still as Steve began walking up to the door. His footsteps on the ground sounded extra loud. He couldn't help, but squint with each step. The loud steps had to be waking up his father. In addition, walking up the wooden porch steps sounded extra creaky. Was the driveway and porch always that loud early in the morning? Steve turned around to peek at the street, figuring he had disturbed everyone with his noise.

Leaning his head side to side, cracking his neck, Steve pushed himself to open the door and walk in. It was a similar scene the last time Steve had seen his father. "Hey," Steve said closing the door behind him. Terrence was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. He was dressed like he was going to go to work soon. Steve figured that had to be a good sign. They could have their quick conversation and then he'd go to work. Things had to go back to normal soon. His father would get tired of this shit and go back to drinking his life away. Except this time, Steve would just leave it at that way.

"Sit down," Terrence said, with a slight demanding tone. Steve walked over to the kitchen table and sat next to his father.

"Sorry I didn't make it home," Steve said, "I got caught up at..."

In a split second, before Steve could even react, Terrence grabbed Steve's hair and slammed his face onto the table with all his strength. Steve felt panic and shock go through him. He was shocked, not ever thinking that would have happened. He was panicking, because he was being forced against his will. He tried to get up, but his father only pushed down harder. "Don't lie to me, boy," he said grasping his hair tighter, "I know you ran away there, like I wasn't going to find out." He lifted Steve's head up and slammed it on the table again. Steve yelled in pain. He couldn't get himself to fight back, like he would to a Soc. He was just stuck. Nothing could motivate him to fight back. His mind was telling him to take it and remain still. "Maybe this will teach you, boy." Removing his grip, Terrence marched away from the table. Steve didn't dare lift up. He kept himself still. Maybe it was over, maybe it wasn't. Steve silently prayed that it was over, whatever it was that was happening, just be over. He heard the closet door open and shut, keys shuffling around, and the front door open and close.

The second he heard the door shut, Steve couldn't control the tears that suddenly flowed down his face. He couldn't grasp what had just happened. His lungs began to feel tight and wouldn't expand for air. His heartbeat and breathing began to speed up. Slowly, Steve lifted his head up and looked toward the front door. It was still closed. Steve wasn't even crying, but the tears became a waterfall on his cheeks. He peeked down at the table. Wiping away the blurry vision from the tears, Steve saw some drops of blood.

Standing up, Steve began to go to the door. He didn't mean to, but he felt himself hurry to the door, almost falling into it. Opening it, Steve saw his father's truck was gone. Steve shut the door and climbed himself up the stairs. He went to the bathroom and turned the light on. He jumped at the sight. The side of his face that got slammed was forming a bruise on his cheek. His nose was where the blood came from, hopefully not broken. Grabbing his nose, he yelped in pain. "Fuck!" he yelled towards his reflection.

Turning on the sink, Steve splashed some cold water on his face. He was trying to get his breathing back to normal, and his heart to slow down. He was having a hard time getting himself together. He was having a harder time understanding the situation. He had an idea his father would be mad, but to go this far...

Steve jumped at the phone beginning to ring. Was his father calling him? Was he going to make sure he was still home? Steve slowly walked into the hallway and picked up the receiver. "He-Hello?" Steve gulped.

"Steve?" It was Soda. Steve let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was relieved to hear Soda's voice. At the same time, he didn't want to talk to him. He couldn't tell Soda what just happened. Could he hide it though?

"H-Hey Soda," Steve reached up and rubbed his temple.

"You went home? Is everything okay?" Soda asked.

Steve took a deep sigh, unsure how to respond. Maybe he couldn't hide it.

"Steve? Talk to me, why did you leave?" Soda sounded very worried.

"I just...I-I came to talk to my dad, and..." Steve felt an emotional lump rise in his throat. He knew if he opened his mouth again, that lump would just pour out and he would be bawling through the phone. No words would be able to get out. His own body wasn't going to let him lie.

"And what? Steve, please..." Steve slammed the phone down. He couldn't do it. He couldn't face Soda right now. His mind was still a jumbled mess on the events that took place, so how was he suppose to explain it all to Sodapop?

The unfortunate realization now was that Soda, or even Darry, would probably be on their way to the Randle household soon, because of Steve's sudden hang-up.

"Fuck," Steve whispered to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

As Steve expected, he heard his front door open and close. There wasn't even a knock. 'Figures he's not going to give me a choice,' Steve thought to himself. He was laying in his bed with an ice pack over his face. Foot steps were heard coming up the stairs. Steve counted down the seconds before there was a knock on his bedroom door. He shook his head. He should have pulled himself together on the phone.

"Steve, are you in there?" It was Darry's voice.

'Seriously?' Steve rolled his eyes. He hoped Soda wouldn't drag his older brother along. This was only going to get uglier now. He couldn't kick himself any harder for not being fine on the phone. 'Some greaser you are.'

"Yeah," Steve croaked, "But don't come in." Maybe he could convince them to just leave.

"Why?" Soda asked through the door. He sounded upset.

Steve slowly sat up in bed, keeping the ice pack in place. If he could get most of the swelling and bruising down, maybe it wouldn't seem that bad, and he could pull off a different story of what happened. An accident-type story that he caused himself. He knew he was trying to convince himself more than anything else that he could trick his best friend who knew everything about him. "What are you guys doing here?" Steve asked, ignoring Soda's question.

"Don't even try that bullshit, Steve," Soda said, "Seriously can we come in?"

Steve shook his head, knowing he wasn't going to get them to leave, "Sounds like you'll come in anyway. Fine." The door opened and Darry walked in with Soda. Darry crossed his arms. The ice pack wasn't even off, but Darry was prepared to be furious. He was clearly also prepared to not believe any bullshit story Steve may try to dish out. Soda put a hand partially over his mouth, awaiting to see the damage. He looked as if he was debating if he wanted to see at all.

"What happened?" Darry asked sternly, with that older brother tone.

Steve took a gulp. He removed the ice pack slowly. Darry's eyebrows began to raise, and then furrow with anger. Soda took a step back. His expression was fear, like he saw a ghost. He looked up at his brother with a hopeful face, like Darry could fix it right that second. The brothers were looking at a swollen, purple cheek with a bloody crooked nose. Steve could feel his cheek begin to swell as much to under his eye. So much for the ice pack.

"What the hell happened to you?" Soda quietly asked. He kept looking between Darry and Steve, clearly wanting comfort from what he was seeing on his best friend. He was waiting for the perfect solution from his big, tough older brother. Darry didn't take his eyes off Steve. He waited for Steve to answer.

Steve looked at the floor, not even going to try a fake story, "It all happened so fast..."

"When did you leave our house?" Darry asked.

"Early this morning. I came home...and he was just sitting there. He was drinking coffee. I went and sat next to him, just expecting to get yelled at since I didn't come home last night. But then..." Steve trailed off. He took a swallow, refusing to cry. "It was...out of nowhere." He looked up at the brothers. "He...grabbed my head and just...slammed it...slammed it on the table." Soda hurried over and pulled Steve into a hug. Steve felt himself begin to uncontrollably bawl into Soda's shoulder.

"Don't say anymore," Soda said. The boys heard Darry march out of the bedroom and go downstairs. "Just wait here," Soda let go of Steve and followed his brother downstairs. He watched Darry look around the kitchen table. "What are you looking..." Soda stopped as he saw the blood on the table, "Oh...Darry..."

"Go upstairs," Darry pointed up the stairs. Soda didn't argue. He hurried back upstairs and sat next to Steve. All he wanted to do was comfort his best friend. He just wanted to fix everything.

"Steve, I..."

"Don't say anything," Steve shook his head, wiping the little blood droplets from his nose.

"You can't stay here. You just can't. Let's get whatever you need and leave. We're getting you out of here. Please Steve, please," Soda begged.

Steve stood up and walked across the room with his hands on his hips. "Soda...this happened because I left, because I lied. I can't just runaway."

"Steve, if you stay here, he's going to keep doing this!" Soda argued, "How do you not see this?"

Steve shook his head, not willing to argue with Soda right now. He couldn't just leave. Terrence literally drove around looking for him yesterday. He wasn't going to just let Steve leave and be done with it. He'd harass the Curtis brother's home and the rest of the gang about where he is. He'd put up a fight. Steve knew he would just have to stay home to keep his father happy, then he would leave everyone else alone, and things would be fine. Things would go back to normal and nothing else would go wrong. Steve could handle it.

Darry returned upstairs. "Is your nose broken?"

Steve turned to face Darry and shrugged, "I don't know."

"Sit down." Steve returned to his bed next to Soda. He knew what was coming. Darry pinched at Steve's nose. Steve flinched as Darry felt around. "Alright, ready? 1...2..." On 2, Darry popped Steve's nose in place. Steve yelled in pain as he grabbed at his face. The stinging sensation grew throughout his whole face. He let himself yell out some curses to get through it. Soda turned away and bit his lip to keep any tears from falling. He couldn't show weakness, not right now, not with what Steve was dealing with. After a minute, he let go of his face and took a few deep breaths. He hadn't noticed Soda turned towards the wall the whole time.

"Where did he go?" Darry asked as he wiped his hands on his pants.

"To work," Steve muttered, letting the sting start to escape his face, "Now if you two don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."

"You can't be serious?" Soda turned from the wall to face his best friend.

"Yes, I am," Steve looked Soda in the eye, "I appreciate your guy's concern, but I will handle this. Just...go, please. I need to be alone."

"Steve..."

"Soda, please," Steve began to grow furious.

"But Steve!" Soda yelled.

"Soda," Darry interrupted, "Let's go. We'll let him rest and see him later."

Soda's eyes became sad. He couldn't just leave Steve in this house with Terrence. Was everyone else going crazy except him? What was Soda missing here? Darry grabbed Soda's arm, "Come on, little buddy. We'll see you soon, Steve." Soda's eyes met with Steve's. He wanted him to change his mind. He wanted him to leave with them. His eyes were begging.

"Thanks Darry," Steve said, his eyes not leaving Soda's.

With that, Soda got up and raced downstairs. "You can come over when you're ready," Darry said, "But we will be back too."

Steve nodded, "Okay. Tell Soda I just need to rest right now, okay?"

"I know you do, I understand. I'll tell him."

As Darry got outside, he found Soda already in his truck, just staring out the window. He hopped in and started the ignition.

"I can't believe you're just going to leave him here," Soda said with frustration.

"I'm not going to drag him out right now," Darry said trying to calm his little brother down, "I need him to relax and get his mind straight. We'll let him sleep and get a hold of him later, okay? I promise I'm not leaving him here to let it get worse."

Soda sighed with anger, "How could he not want to leave?"

"It's a lot to take in. It's a lot to figure out," Darry began pulling out of the driveway, "Let's just get home and hang out. Let's get Pony and go to the park and play some football."

Soda couldn't believe Darry was beginning to drive away. He couldn't believe Steve wasn't racing out of the house to come with them. He shook his head as he stared out the window and muttered, "Fine."


	13. Chapter 13

Darry took Soda and Pony to the park to play football for the day. Dally and Johnny eventually joined them. They played teams with Darry as a switching quarterback. It was nice to spend the day just goofing off in the park when Darry had nothing on his agenda. As much as he tried to make the day fun for everyone, Soda still had that morning on his mind. He was still a little mad at Darry for not making Steve leave. Soda figured even if Steve wasn't thinking straight, Darry still should have made the choice for him. What if something happened between now and when they hear from Steve again? As much as Soda was trying to understand Darry's reasoning for it, and Steve fighting against them, he just wasn't okay with this outcome.

"Didn't Steve spend the night last night?" Dally asked during one of their breaks.

"Yeah, he went home to try and straighten things out with his dad," Darry commented, not going into detail of the morning, "He'll probably come over later and we'll see." He glanced over at his little brother.

Soda just stared at the dirt and kicked at it. 'Maybe I should tell Dally what we saw this morning. He'd probably go get Steve,' Soda thought to himself. Unfortunately, he could only hope and pray they'd see Steve later.

When Steve woke up, he saw the sky starting to turn colors. He looked at his clock. It was already late in the afternoon. The exhaustion really got to him apparently for him to pass out all day. His eye was still slightly swollen from his cheek. He could feel that. His face hurt, a lot. He didn't even want to touch it. Reaching up, Steve rubbed his nose lightly and saw dry blood flakes drop to his bed. Darry sure got it back into place, but it still hurt like a bitch.

"Ow," he groaned touching his face gingerly. Slowly, Steve got up and walked downstairs. He didn't care to look at himself in the mirror again. It wouldn't be much of a surprise that he would look like shit. He mostly didn't want to look at his reflection and revisit the fear of how it happened. If a Soc leaves a mark on you, it just doesn't mess with you as much. It was different. Steve wasn't sure why, and he wasn't sure how to explain it, but there was a different fear and pain to it. Steve found his father on the couch, watching TV. Steve took a breath. He wanted to keep his composure and not give Terrence any reason to be mad at him. He also didn't want his father to think he won anything.

"Hey Steve," he greeted getting up, "How are you feeling?"

Steve just glanced at the TV, "It hurts."

"Well, do you understand why I had to be so rough?" his father asked, with little sympathy in his voice. Steve looked back over at his father, not going to dare give an answer to a ridiculous question. "You need to learn your place. I am your father, and I make the rules. If you disobey those rules, I'm forced to punish you like that."

Steve nodded moving his eye contact to the floor, "I'm sorry."

"Well hopefully you learned your lesson," Terrence walked towards the kitchen, "No one else cares about you enough to prepare you for the world. Darry thinks keeping you out all night is good for you. Look where it got you, huh? He knew you weren't suppose to be out, but he kept you out anyway. Now that is selfish intentions. That's why his younger brothers are just out running around causing trouble." Steve nodded, unsure what he was suppose to say in return. He knew his father was wrong about Darry, Soda and Pony. He wanted to put his father in his place, like he would to anyone else who said anything about that family, but he fought back. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess a little."

"I'll order us some pizza."

"Okay." Steve went and sat himself on the couch. After Terrence put the order in, the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" he answered, "Hello Soda..." Steve looked up at his father, but Terrence put a finger up to stop him from saying anything. "...yes, he's here, but he needs some rest. He's staying in tonight, so you can call tomorrow...alright, bye." Terrence hung up. Steve's heart began to race again. Was Soda and Darry going to be racing over here again? He hoped not. Steve hoped they would just let it go for tonight. Terrence had no idea that they had been over earlier and saw how Steve looked. He had no idea that Steve told them what happened. Steve had to work tomorrow, so he'd see Sodapop then. For now, he silently begged that Soda would just stay home tonight.

At the Curtis house, Soda hung up the phone. "Darry?" Soda peeked into the living room from the kitchen phone. They had returned from the park. Dally and Johnny took spots on the couch while Ponyboy sat on the floor, all eyes on the TV.

"Yeah?" Darry called from his armchair.

"Terrence answered, but he wouldn't let me talk to Steve."

Darry got up and went to his little brother. He placed his hands on his shoulders. "It's okay little buddy. You'll see him at work tomorrow, okay? We can get lunch with him tomorrow and talk."

Soda shook his head, "This isn't fair. I'm going to be worrying all night about him."

"We all will be. Soda you won't be alone in that, okay? We are all going to be on edge for Steve," Darry agreed, "Just trust me, okay?"

Soda slowly nodded. He still couldn't believe they had just left Steve there alone to fight the battle. Now look where it got them. Steve was being forced to stay at home, even if he wanted to leave now. Soda knew Darry didn't want to anger Terrence any more than he already was, but what if that didn't matter? What if he was going to hurt Steve anyway? What if Steve couldn't get out if it was needed?

Back at the Randle house, as Steve got ready to go back to bed, Terrence walked into his bedroom. "Are you suppose to work tomorrow?"

Steve nodded.

"Well, you can't go in looking like that. People might talk," he warned.

"They'll probably talk that I got in a fight with a Soc or something," Steve quietly responded. He began to feel his anger rise over any shyness. How could his father keep him from going to work?

"We can't take those chances," Terrence added on, "You looking like that could..."

Steve turned and looked at his father with frustration, "The only reason I look like this is because of you."

Terrence slapped Steve. "Boy, the reason you look like that is not following rules to begin with. You are staying home tomorrow, got it?" Turning around, Terrence left the room and slammed the door shut.

Steve sat back onto his bed, holding his other cheek. He kept his composure as best as he could. The anger was keeping his tears from forming. The anger was keeping him from crawling under the floor scared. His father clearly wasn't giving mercy, so all of that wouldn't do any good anyway. He knew he'd just have to relax, and do everything he can to keep his father happy. Apparently that was going to start with not going to work tomorrow.

"Everything will be fine," Steve told himself.

_It was the middle of the night when Steve woke up. His face ached, and he felt the need to wash it. Getting up carefully, since he didn't want to wake his father, Steve quietly took light steps to the bathroom. Reluctantly, he looked in the mirror. His face was a mixture of his white skin, purple, and light red. Some swelling still took over his face. Turning the faucet, Steve let the cold water begin to run. He continued to stare at his reflection, hoping to see something drastically change. If he could look decent, he could go to work tomorrow. That's what his father was worried about after all, was people talking. Steve still thought even if people did talk, they would blame the Socs. At least those who had no idea of Steve's current situation at home._

_Bending over, Steve began splashing cold water on his face. A refreshing feel began to take over his face. It felt amazing. Steve continued to splash water on his face and really soak it in. He ran his hands up and down his face trying to clean it the best he could. Looking up in the mirror, Steve almost took a step back. His face was clearing up. The swelling had gone down. The bruising was subsiding. His face was looking back to it's normal self. He had no idea why it was happening, but he didn't care. He was just happy it was all going away. Leaning over again, Steve scrubbed more water on himself. He looked up between splashes and saw more and more of his face becoming healed. Excitement came over him._

_At one final splash, Steve looked up and saw his face was completely healed. He could almost feel himself cry. The relief was overwhelming. He looked down at the sink as the water continued to run. He felt happy._

_As he stared at the water splashing away at the sink, something began to feel off. Steve felt a dark presence entering the bathroom. There was a darker shade of shadow forming over the sink. Steve didn't want to look up. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at his reflection again. He could see the figure of his father standing behind him. _

_In an instant, he grabbed Steve by the hair, yanked it back and smashed it straight into the mirror._

Steve jumped straight up in bed, gasping for air. He looked around in a panic. He was still in his room, still in his bed. Nothing happened. Slowing down his breathing, he began laying back down.

"It's okay, it's okay. Nothing happened," Steve whispered to himself. He looked out his window and saw the stars all scattered around the sky. "Everything will be fine."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! The support means so much! This chapter turned out a little longer than usual, so enjoy!

Soda couldn't help, but feel uneasy all night. Something awful could have been happening at the Randle house, and Steve was helpless. No one was there to help him. Soda slept with an open ear in case the phone rang. He knew Darry probably didn't sleep the best either. Soda knew he was worried about Steve too, but then Soda didn't understand why they left Steve there to begin with. Sure, Steve was fighting against the issue too, and wanted to stay home anyway, but Soda was ready to make him leave against his own will. Steve couldn't be that dumb enough to stay and believe things will be okay. There was no way Steve could truly believe that.

Darry dropped Soda off at the DX in the morning. He didn't see Steve's car, and he looked back at his older brother for a comforting explanation. Darry just shrugged his shoulders and promised they could still go out to lunch. Soda went inside the station and headed straight for the back.

"Has Steve called?" he asked Mr. Huffman.

"His dad called him out today," Mr. Huffman simply said.

"What did he say?" Soda asked feeling his shoulders drop in defeat.

Mr. Huffman shrugged, "He said there was a little accident at home and Steve needed to recover from a minor injury."

"An...accident? Injury?" Soda repeated his boss' word.

"He didn't really go into specifics, but he said Steve will probably be back tomorrow. So it doesn't sound too serious."

Soda left his boss' office and got himself behind the counter, "It is serious though."

At lunch, Darry decided to try calling the Randle house after hearing Soda's news. Soda handed him the phone from behind the DX counter.

"No answer," Darry hung up the receiver.

"Can we go there? Please?" Soda asked with desperation.

"Yeah, let's go." The brothers got in Darry's truck and headed down to the Randle household. When they pulled up to the house, Soda released the door handle. He hadn't realized he must've been gripping it the whole time as his hand had a slight cramp to it. Terrence's truck was gone, but Steve's car was in the driveway. That had to be a good sign, right?

Both brothers walked up the driveway, up the porch, and Darry knocked on the door. It's probably a good thing Darry was with him, because Soda was ready to just force his way in.

The door creaked open at first, but then once Steve realized who it was, he completely opened the door. "Hey guys," he greeted, "What are you doing here?"

Darry and Soda entered the house. "Don't give us that," Soda said, "You know I was going to notice you not at work today. And before you start another lie, Mr. Huffman told me it was your dad that called. Now what's going on?"

Steve sighed as he took a seat on the couch, "Alright, yes, my dad called me out of work. He didn't want me to be seen."

"Well maybe he shouldn't..." Soda began, but then Darry interrupted him.

"Steve, where did he go now?"

"He's at work," Steve replied.

"Then what's stopping you from leaving the house?" Darry asked. Steve didn't answer. He stayed silent as he began chewing at his fingernail. "You know you could just walk out the door, right?"

Steve looked towards the door, "Maybe he's right though." How could Steve admit to them that he was scared, possibly terrified, to just walk out?

"Steve," Darry bent down to get to eye level of Steve, "This isn't like you to just be bossed around. The Steve we know, would've just marched out not giving a damn what anyone told you to do."

"But he's my da-"

"Him included," Darry firmly put in.

Steve shook his head, "Look, I'm just...confused about everything right now. I'm not sure what's going on with him, maybe it is my mom. Which by the way, is getting to me too. I'm feeling different knowing it's almost been 10 years."

"What are you getting at Steve?" Soda asked.

"Who am I to say he's the wrong person here? We are both going through a lot with this, and me doing this isn't helping him," Steve explained, his frustration growing.

"You doing what?" Soda almost yelled, "What the hell are you doing that is making everything worse? This is all his fault, Steve!"

Darry ran a hand through his hair, "I know he is going through a lot, and so are you, but this isn't right Steve. You have to understand that. You have to listen to us."

Steve stood up and pointed to the door, "Can you guys just get out?" Darry stood up, but neither of them moved. "Get out now!" Steve barked making his way to the stairs, "There, was that a little more like myself?" Steve marched up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door shut. Darry and Soda left.

When Terrence returned from work, he found Steve in his room. He hadn't moved since Darry and Soda were there.

"Hello Steven," his dad entered the bedroom and stood over the bed, his son's back towards him. Steve didn't answer. "Are you hungry?" Steve shrugged. Before his shoulders shrunk back down completely, Terrence grabbed Steve's arm and yanked him upwards. "Did you forget how to talk? I'm asking you a question, I expect an answer!" Terrence smacked Steve in the face. "You think you can just disrespect me, boy? I just worked a long ass day to provide for you like I have been for many years by myself! And you don't have the decency to look at me or speak to me? That's going to change right now!" Terrence clutched Steve by the hair and lifted his face up. Steve gritted his teeth, but didn't wince. "Do you understand?"

Steve swallowed, "Yes. I'm sorry."

Terrence let go of Steve's hair, causing him to collapse into his pillow while his hands grabbed at his head for comfort. "I'm going to make dinner," Terrence announced as he walked out.

Steve calmed himself down. He stood up and walked out of his bedroom. Entering the bathroom, Steve closed the door behind him and looked at his reflection. His swelling had gone down some. Now it just looked like a bad bruise on nearly half of his face. He took a deep breath. Eliza's anniversary was about a week away. Steve knew his father would calm down some after that. He just had to grin and bear everything. Then his life would go back to normal. He just wished Soda could understand that.

At dinner, Steve and Terrence sat at the kitchen table in silence. Steve figured if he just held in and only spoke when spoken to, he'd be okay. 'Just don't push any buttons. It's a simple thing to do,' Steve thought to himself.

"So, what did you do today?" Terrence asked as he took a sip of a beer.

'He'll know you're lying,' Steve thought, 'Honesty is probably my best bet.' Steve felt his fingers fidget around his fork as he spoke, "Um...Sodapop came by." He also thought maybe it wouldn't seem as bad if he didn't mention Darry.

"What did he want?" Terrence asked, suddenly his eyes staring down at Steve.

Steve tried to look at his father, but struggled. He felt his eyes wander between his plate of food, his fork, his father's fork, and his father's knife. "He, uh, he just saw I wasn't at work, so he wanted to check up on me."

"What did you say happened to your face? And what did I say about looking at me, boy?"

Steve felt his head shoot right up to look at his father's. His eyes were so cold. "Um," Steve felt himself blink rapidly, "I'm sorry. And Mr. Huffman mentioned I had an accident, like you said on the phone, so I just told him I-I was working on my car and I was just being clumsy."

Terrence looked down at his food, "Looks like we'll have to work on our stories, huh? Keep people out of our business. It's called parenting, but no one else would really understand, you know?" Steve nodded. He looked down and began cutting at his dinner. "Just remember, no one else cares about you. Not the way I do." He reached over and rubbed Steve's hair. Steve flinched at the touch and felt his grip loosen as his fork clanged against the plate. "Shh, it's okay. I'm not going to punish you. I don't want to punish you. I don't like it."

Terrence removed his hand and went back to his dinner. "As I was saying, I care about you and your well being more than anyone else. That Curtis family is just getting themselves involved in something they have no reason being in. Not because they care though, it's because they want to be in control. That's what Darry is like. He is controlling, like his old man. And Soda, well he'll just do whatever Darry says."

Steve swallowed. He felt the need to stand up for his friends.

"But you know, they've just never understood me, you know? That family never has. How could I parent when I had eyes on me like crazy?" Terrence went on.

Steve wasn't sure what his father was getting at. He didn't want to keep hearing nonsense about the Curtis family though. They've been nothing, but great to him. "Look, dad, can we just finish dinner?" Steve asked, trying to put the annoying tone out of his voice, "I'm kind of tired."

"Well, maybe we can come up with something a little better of a story if you want to go back to work tomorrow. Go upstairs and I'll call you back down." Steve nodded as he made his way upstairs.

A few hours passed and Steve ended up passing out. He barely did anything today, but he couldn't help feeling exhausted, especially mentally.

Steve jumped as he was being shaken abruptly. "Wake up," Terrence hissed.

Steve looked up at his father. He sat up and peeked at the clock, "It's two in the morning, have you been up this whole time?"

"Yes, you need to come downstairs. We need to talk."

Steve felt himself half-asleep walking downstairs. He went and sat on the couch. On the coffee table were a few beer cans and a glass with a cocktail in it. "What is this about?" Steve asked as Terrence took a seat next to him.

"Remember what I was trying to talk to you about at dinner?"

"I guess," Steve shrugged.

"Well, I realize I was all over the place with it, so I want to try and explain to you what happened between me and the Curtis family." Steve was confused. What was he talking about with something happening between them? "I just never brought it up, because you and Soda were such good friends. I didn't need to ruin that, but things are getting a little out of hand, so I feel like I need to step up and get things back under my control, understand?"

"I'm not sure," Steve admitted, "Are you saying you had some feud with Mr. and Mrs. Curtis?"

Terrence shook his head, "Not exactly. See, when your mom passed away, they became such great help to me. I will never rid them of that, they helped me so much. They let you spend nights there a lot, because I'd be pulling two jobs. They'd let you spend all hours with Sodapop, so you would have no distraction by the reality of our household."

Steve nodded, "I mean, I remember being there a lot, yes."

"But then something happened. I was able to get a better job. Just one job, Monday to Fridays during the day. I was getting things back in order for us, and you seemed to be doing okay. You were happy with your life. But then it seemed Mr. and Mrs. Curtis weren't willing to give me credit that fast. They kept checking up on me, and if they didn't like what they saw here, they'd offer you another sleepover. They kept telling me what I should be doing with you or myself," Terrence explained. Steve thought for a moment. He did remember there were times when Mrs. Curtis would show up and ask Steve if he wanted to have a sleepover. Steve never thought anything of it. He just thought Mrs. Curtis wanted two best friends to have fun together.

"Do you see where I'm getting at, Steve?" Terrence asked, "They wanted to take control of me, of us. I never felt I could do anything on my own, because of them. And Darry must've known all about it, because even when they passed, he seemed to worry about you too. And then recently, I thought to myself why was I doing this to myself? They were the ones who pushed me to drink and not try with you, not try to be a real dad."

"What..." Steve looked at the floor in disbelief. He didn't want to listen to his father anymore, but what he was saying was making sense. Too much sense. And it scared Steve.

"So I'm putting an end to it. I'm running my own house and being a dad to my son. You're only 17 for so long, and I need to raise you as I can with the time I have left. We need to have this time together, especially as your mom's anniversary comes up. I...I don't want to punish you, but my dad raised me the same way. It toughens you up and disciplines you. They'd do the same thing if you went to the military." Steve stayed silent, unsure how to respond. "Do...do you understand Steve? I know it's a lot, and I never wanted to pour it all on you and make things hard with you and Soda, but it's the truth."

Steve placed his face in his hands. He didn't know what to believe. Did Mr. and Mrs. Curtis really jeopardize his relationship with his father? Did they make it difficult for them to have a true father-son bond, because they didn't believe he could raise Steve properly? Especially without a mother? No, that couldn't be true. They wouldn't do that, would they? And Darry wasn't like that. No, Steve couldn't believe all of that. He didn't want to.

Steve looked up and glanced at the front door as he thought to himself, 'Then why does it make so much sense?'


	15. Chapter 15

Terrence and Steve came up with the 'story' as to his absence the day before. Not that he really needed it, Soda already knew what really happened. Steve couldn't let his father in on that though. He'd have to entertain him with letting him believe he had all of the control over the situation. He still was struggling to process all the information his father told him last night. Was it all really true? Was Terrence perceived as a father who couldn't handle a kid by himself, so people just took over for him? Not that it ruined his life, Steve had to admit, his childhood was plenty wonderful. Mrs. Curtis was an amazing woman to him, mothered him as much as she did to her own three boys, and Steve couldn't ever take that away from her. Thinking back to all the things he did as a child, he never would have thought a negative intention from it. Could his relationship have been different with Terrence if people didn't try to butt in though?

Steve didn't know how to feel about it. He couldn't hate the Curtis parents for helping him out and treating him as one of their own. At the same time, he felt a little anger if Terrence wanted to be the best father and they just pushed him out of the way. The Curtis parents wouldn't have gone that far though, right? They had to have at least given Terrence a chance. Something had to have happened to make them intervene if that really was the case. And if things didn't happen the way they did, would him and Soda be as close as they were? What if...

And Darry? Was he just carrying it on, because his amazing dad told him to? Or was Mr. Curtis and Darry just more controlling than Steve realized? Steve wished he could have paid more attention to the adult's behaviors when he was little. No child really does that though. Children are just easier to brainwash, because they just don't catch things like that. And now it was getting to Steve's head that he couldn't figure it out. He couldn't search any moments in his memory that would've said any odd behaviors. Steve let out a deep sigh. For now, he'd just have to let it go. He could end up never knowing.

Arriving at the DX, Steve decided he wouldn't bring it up to Soda. At least not yet. He had to figure it out some more. Steve was caught in an area of it couldn't be possible, but it did make sense. How could someone do it, but did Steve maybe not know them as well as he thought? As much as he hated being knocked around like he had been, maybe it really was a form of discipline and parenting. Maybe that's why you hear about it so much on this side of town, some kids neglected or some being hit, because it was a legit thing to prepare you for the real world.

"If I wasn't around the truth, I guess I wouldn't really know, would I?" Steve said to himself.

Soda didn't have to work that day, but Steve knew he'd show up anyway to check up. As irritating as it was, Steve knew it was just because he cared so much. The more he thought about it, the more Steve knew even if Terrence was telling him the truth, he would never want to change his friendship with Soda. There were too many good memories behind that relationship. The friendship helped shape who Steve was as a person, and his value to the gang.

Sure enough like clockwork, lunchtime arrived and Sodapop Curtis walked into the garage.

"Hey," he greeted.

Steve turned from the car he was working on, "Hey, man."

"How are you doing?" Soda asked, seeming uneasy.

"I'm okay," Steve said shuffling through the tools. He suddenly felt nervous with Soda there. He wasn't sure what he would ask, or how to respond to anything.

Soda shoved his hands in his pockets, not really wanting to hear the answer to his next question, "Did anything happen last night?"

Steve thought back to the slap on his face, the hair tug, and the conversation. Another smack to his face that had an instant sting to it. It wouldn't matter how often those happened, they hurt every time. The first minute was the pain, the next minute was nothing. The pulling of his hair was the opposite. It wasn't much when Terrence first pulled upwards. It was when he let go that Steve could feel the pain begin as his head tried relaxing back to it's normal state. He wasn't sure which was worse. They both left him as a vulnerable kid who couldn't stand up for himself.

"No," Steve lied.

"Good," Soda took one hand out and began tapping on the tool table.

"What? You obviously have something to say."

"Darry's going to talk to your dad," Soda blurted out.

Steve's eyes widened, "What?"

"Steve, he has to. Do you see your face?"

"It's not as bad as it was," Steve pointed out.

"But how it did look was horrible!" Soda argued, "Steve, just let us help, please. Before something really bad comes out of this."

"It wouldn't get any worse if you would just butt out! How can you guys not understand that?"

"Steve, he'll probably do something anyway! Darry just wants to see if he's okay..."

"Soda, he doesn't know that you guys know what happened to me. He doesn't know I've told you guys anything. He had me come up with a bullshit story to tell everyone about my..." Steve pointed towards his bruises on his face, "my thing."

"Maybe Darry won't go that far into detail," Soda tried calming his best friend down, "And even if he does..."

"Don't be dumb, Soda. You know exactly what he'll say, because he can't just let it go!" Steve slammed the tool back down on the table.

"Steve, we can't let it go, because we care..."

"Because Darry has to be in control," Steve snarled as he constantly interrupted Soda. He stared at the wall. He didn't want to hear anymore. He didn't want to accidentally say anymore.

Soda became dumbfounded, "What are you talking about? This isn't a control thing."

Steve shook his head, "Just never mind, Soda. I have things on my mind."

Soda's eyebrows furrowed as his best friend refused eye contact. He couldn't understand what Steve was saying. "Clearly you do." Steve rolled his eyes as he began wiping his hands on a towel. "You should come over after work." Steve couldn't help but let out a scoff. He hated when Soda did that. Obviously they were irritated at each other, but there he was being a good friend and inviting him over anyway.

"Sure," Steve finally said walking away angrily.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Here's another chapter for you all, because I love my readers and all of the support so much!

"Hey Terrence," Darry greeted entering Terrence's work office, "Thanks for letting me come in."

"Afternoon Darrel," Terrence stood and shook Darry's hand, "Go ahead, make yourself comfortable." Darry took a seat. Terrence was in a cheerful mood. "How is the family?" And a polite mood. He looked cleaned up and nicely clothed for work. He appeared sober and had a straight head on his shoulders. Darry kept his guard up and didn't let all of that fool him though.

"Oh everyone's good, good," Darry replied running a hand up and down his leg, unsure how to start expressing his concerns.

"That's great. And how have you been?"

"I've been fine," Darry slowly nodded, "Thank you."

"Have you been managing the house okay?" Terrence asked, surprising Darry with his concerned tone. No one ever asked him how he was doing managing life with his younger brothers. Two-Bit's mom did the occasional checking in, but Darry would have never expected it out of anyone else's parents.

"Yeah, it's going good. Um, I didn't exactly come here for small talk," Darry attempted getting to his point before Terrence could confuse him any further.

"You need help with something at home?"

"Actually, I came about Steve," Darry sat himself up straight, as he wasn't sure what to expect from what was to come next.

"Oh? Did he get in some sort of trouble?"

Darry continued to be surprised. All of Terrence's responses were throwing him through a loop of how to continue the conversation. He couldn't have been that delusional over Darry's visit though. "Not with us, no," Darry sighed, "There seems to be concern with your home."

Terrence shrugged, clearly uncertain what could be so wrong with his household, "What do you mean? What is Steve saying?"

"Terrence, how have you been handling Eliza's anniversary coming up?" Darry attempted a different method.

Leaning back in his chair, and placing his hands behind his head, Terrence said, "Oh, that's what this is about."

"Yes, well I can only imagine..."

"Look," Terrence interrupted, "I'm not having the easiest time with it, I can admit that. How could anyone? I'm sure when your parent's anniversaries come up, especially milestone ones like Eliza's, you guys won't have an easy time either."

Darry swallowed, not wanting to think about his parents. He hated seeing his little brothers go through their phases of grief. Terrence was right, when milestone years arrive, he doesn't know what to expect out of Soda, Pony, or even himself. They'd be there for each other though, and that's all that mattered to Darry. "Well, I can agree with you there. I know it won't be easy for us either," he agreed.

Terrence shook his head and sighed, "Steve though, he's...he's struggling, a lot, Darry. I can't seem to figure out how to help him, and it's really taking a toll on me. I don't know if you've seen it at your place, but something is taking over Steve and changing him in a bad way."

"How do you mean?"

"I've never seen him so upset over Eliza. Maybe it has something to do with your folks passing too, your mom was like a mom to him too."

"Yes," Darry commented, now beginning to feel the sadness of missing his mother, "I know she was amazing for treating every child as her own, but Steve was definitely different. She loved him so much. More than any of my friends even. I always remember she had a real soft area for Steve."

Terrence tilted his head, as if he didn't realize the relationship Steve had with Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. Darry noticed it wasn't an angry look though, it was more of a interested look. He wasn't completely frowning, but wasn't completely smiling either. "Yes, yes, she did, and I thank God every day for that," he said with his eyebrows raising up.

Darry nodded uncomfortably, "I do think Steve needed that. Just another woman to be that for him."

"She sure was that missing piece when Eliza passed. Anyway, your folks passing was a while ago now, but I think Steve thinking about Eliza's ten year anniversary and maybe thinking about your mom is getting to him. Unfortunately, it's getting to him in a bad way," Terrence explained standing up and pacing the floor.

"So what is he doing?"

"He's being very careless about himself!" Terrence threw his hands in the air, "A couple of days ago, he was doing some work on his car, but ended up hurting himself. Got his face messed up pretty bad. Anyone else, I wouldn't think another second about it, because people have accidents. But Steve..he never forgets the safety precautions when working on a car. He's too smart and too particular for that when it comes to cars. And it wasn't just a simple accident, his face looks like he got in some fight."

"Uh huh..." Darry trailed off, trying to show the belief. He had to give Terrence credit for the details. Anyone else would believe it was out of place for Steve to hurt himself bad while working on a car. If Steve had any OCD, it'd be cars.

"He's also begun heavily drinking. There's been a couple incidents now where he's gotten so intoxicated, he's hurt himself at home. Whether it's running into something or he knocks something down. He's yelled about wanting to die and starts hitting things that could hurt him like glass. It's made him angry too, so he's just been yelling all the time. He yells about wanting Eliza back, but I don't blame him. I can't blame him."

"Hmm," Darry looked down at the floor. He wasn't sure where to go with this. He knew Terrence was lying, but he wasn't sure he could even convince Terrence himself that it was a lie. He seemed so sure of his story.

"That's why the other night I wanted him to just come home and be with me. I wanted to talk to him. I want to get him help, maybe get him to talk to somebody. I'm really worried Darrel. I'm worried what he might do when Eliza's anniversary does come around. He could just lose it!"

"I understand," Darry nodded.

"Maybe Sodapop knows something. Maybe he has an idea or Steve has said something to him?"

"Soda hasn't said much, honestly," Darry shrugged, "But maybe if Steve came by today..."

"No," Terrence shook his head, "He has to come home. I have to figure this out."

"But Terrence," Darry began, clearing his throat, "Maybe he just needs to get out and find some distraction. Soda knows what it's like to lose a mom, so they both could have a lot in common to talk about with their feelings that come with it. Could be the therapy Steve needs if you're honestly looking into him talking to somebody."

Terrence ran a hand through his hair and suddenly became firm, "Honestly Darrel, he needs to learn not to behave this way no matter what is going on. He needs to take things like a man and move on with life. Keep on living. So he just needs to come home. He needs a healthy alternative to handling this difficult time."

"Terrence..."

"That's all I have time for today, Darrel. Maybe I'll call you later," Terrence stood up and walked Darry out of his office.


	17. Chapter 17

Soda's eyes continued to widen as Darry related the story of his conversation with Terrence. Darry was able to swing by home for a quick lunch before going back to do a little work, which was good because he needed to vent. In fact he wanted to yell. How could Terrence tell such a lie and expect anyone to believe it? What was Steve going through at home? Soda's frustration grew as he grabbed his hair wanting to pull at it. This wasn't happening.

"I hope you...why would...how could he possibly think we'd believe that?" Soda uttered a sentence out. He let go of his hair and kept his hands in the air with confusion and frustration.

Darry shrugged, "I don't know little buddy. I don't even think Terrence realizes he's lying. I think he believes whatever he's made up in his own head."

Soda shrunk down into the couch trying to relax himself, "Darry..."

"What?"

"I'm-I'm kind of scared. I mean I am so pissed off right now, but I'm also worried. I am scared. I thought Terrence was just getting a little out of control, I guess, but I don't understand what he's trying to pull. He has to be planning something here, right?"

"I don't know, but I'm starting to get worried too," Darry admitted. Darry managed to calm Soda down a little as he got ready to leave again. Soda knew he couldn't do anything about it right now. He could just hope Steve would come over and they could talk.

Later that afternoon, Steve walked into the Curtis house. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he felt okay enough to go over there. He still wasn't sure what he believed from all his father said. Maybe he could get an answer though. No idea how, but Steve needed answers. He needed some closure about things. He needed something to officially tell him to just let go of what his father was saying to him.

"What's up, man?" Soda greeted from the couch.

"Nothing," Steve took a seat next to Soda, "It was a slow day, which was nice."

"Did Mr. Huffman ask you anything?"

Steve shook his head, "Not really. I'm sure my dad explained enough on the phone to him. Whatever it was he ended up telling him."

"Look Steve, about earlier. I wasn't sure what you were talking about, or what your comments were about, but..."

Steve put his hand up to stop Soda, "Don't even worry about it, seriously. I'm not even sure what I was trying to say. I am just confused and frustrated and mad and just everything. I don't know what's going on anymore and I don't know what I'm suppose to do. I am sorry."

Soda smiled, "It's okay. You know we're here for you though, right? We just want to help you."

"I know." Steve looked over at his best friend. He felt bad he had any doubt Soda just wanted the best for him. They had years of friendship to fall back on. And Steve had years of loyalty and trust to fall back on with the whole Curtis family. His father had to be talking nonsense again. There was no way what he said could be true. Steve would just have to shove what his father said away, and not look back to it. If his father said any crazy nonsense again about it, Steve vowed to just nod in agreement and then make it disappear.

"Darry was able to see him today," Soda spoke up, "Your dad."

Steve's head spun fast to look at Soda, "What?" He didn't think Darry would actually go see him, let alone his father would be willing to talk to him. Steve felt himself gulp. However that meeting went would depend on what Steve would be going home to.

"Steve, relax, he just wants to help," Soda sat up.

"Well what did he say? What did my dad say? What happened?" Steve spit out questions quick. He could feel his heart begin to race.

"Steve, Steve, really, it's okay," Soda put his hands on Steve's shoulders, "Look at me, okay?" Instead of listening, Steve stood up and headed for the door. "Steve! Wait!" Soda rushed outside as Steve stopped at the bottom of the porch steps. "Steve, please, just listen to me! Come have a smoke and relax. It really is okay, I promise."

Steve muttered a curse under his breath as he turned around. He walked back up the porch and lit a cigarette. He took a few puffs to calm down. "So, what happened then?" Steve let out a long breath of smoke.

After seeing Steve's reaction, Soda decided against telling him the conversation. If he wanted to protect Steve, he could see telling him what his dad claimed about him wasn't a good idea. Maybe he'd leave it to Darry to figure that out. He didn't want to say anymore that could push Steve to leave. "You can ask Darry later, okay? You are very upset right now, which I think should even be telling you something."

Steve looked out into the yard, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Everything is going to be okay though," Soda grabbed Steve's shoulder and turned him face-to-face, "I promise."

Later in the evening, Steve decided to head home. He still felt bad about doubting Soda or Darry. He couldn't believe he had let his father get into his head like that about the entire Curtis family. He really should have known better. Steve did see Darry a little bit before he left, but he didn't ask him about the conversation with his father. It was too much anxiety and he didn't believe he could handle the answer right now.

As Steve pulled into his driveway, Terrence was waiting on the front porch. Steve swallowed. He hadn't felt worried much throughout the day about his father, but suddenly he could feel the anxiety grow within him. He felt that stuck feeling again, almost wanting to turn around and go back to Soda. His father's glare was like a force though as Steve felt a push to get out of the car, quick.

Terrence stood up from the porch swing. Steve exited his car and made his way towards his father. He could feel his head bowing lower and lower the closer he got. He could feel his heart beat faster and faster and his palms get sweatier.

"Where did you go after work?" Terrence asked.

Steve gulped, "Soda's."

"What went on over there?"

"Nothing really. We just hung out and talked."

"You told the story?"

"Yes," Steve lied.

"Did they believe you?"

"I think so," Steve looked up at his father. He didn't appear pleased, but he didn't appear angry either.

"Let's go inside." Steve followed Terrence inside. "I think we need to take bigger precautions Steve."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, watching his father take a seat on the couch. Precautions? Precautions towards what?

"Darry visited me at work. He was concerned about you, or at least that's what he said. He asked me a lot of questions, too many questions, trying to dig into what's going on here at home. But that's none of his fucking business," Terrence stood back up and paced into the kitchen.

"Okay," Steve responded.

"I want you to stay home for the next few days."

"What?" Steve asked.

"You're going to stay home for this weekend, and we are going to establish some foundation here at home. We need to put in place what is expected from now on."

Steve was ready to argue, but he bit his tongue. He knew if he could please his father and do as he says, he wouldn't risk getting hurt and the sooner it would all be over. He took a deep breath, "Okay."

* * *

The weekend was going to be long. The weekend was going to be slow. The weekend was going to be scary. The unknown was scary. When Steve called Soda to tell him not to worry, but he wouldn't be hearing from him this weekend, that naturally did the opposite. Soda worried a lot. Steve couldn't really explain what was going on, because he was even unsure, but Soda wasn't comfortable with it. It had taken Soda a long time to hang up the phone from that call, hoping Steve would still be on the other end. Terrence was more than likely listening to what Steve was saying on the phone, and Soda wanted to wait long enough for Steve to maybe get an opportunity to tell him the truth. To tell Soda he needed help. To tell Soda to come over and get him right away. Nothing though. What was Soda suppose to do?

When Darry got home from work that Friday evening, Soda told him what Steve had said over the phone. Darry's reaction didn't help Soda any. Although he didn't seem scared or angry, he almost seemed defeated. Soda refused to accept that. Terrence may be some steps ahead of them and trying to win whatever he was doing, but Soda knew they could catch up. They just couldn't underestimate Terrence anymore. Little did Soda know, Darry was feeling shame over himself. His little brother had been begging for him to help his best friend. He kept putting it off, trying to figure out how to fight the situation, and convincing Soda that they couldn't help Steve if he didn't want it. Maybe Darry should have forced Steve out of there anyway. Let Steve argue and let Terrence threaten. Darry should have taken over the situation himself. He feared Soda wouldn't trust him as much anymore after the way he handled this.

Darry didn't verbally respond to Soda's news. He brought himself upstairs to his room and closed the door. Sitting on his bed, he said a silent prayer for Steve's safety. He also prayed that some sort of sign would present itself if he was suppose to go over there and intervene. He felt he had let his little brother down. He felt maybe his visit to Terrence's work caused this. Surely, Darry didn't expect this to come out of Terrence. It did though and that's what he'd have to live with this weekend.

When the rest of the gang showed up at the Curtis house that Friday night, everyone was surprised Steve wasn't over. He was usually the first to show up for any weekend shenanigans about to take place. Soda couldn't even fake his old happy-go-lucky self. He told Two-Bit and Dally what Steve had said over the phone. He slightly hoped someone could fix it, or someone could say a magic word that would make Soda feel better. Couldn't someone say something to make Soda's worries go to rest? Naturally, Dally wanted to go over there and drag 'Steve's stupid head out of there.' Once Dally said that, Soda realized that was the problem that Darry had been trying to tell him all along. Steve was willingly staying. He wasn't asking anyone for help. He hadn't tried to leave the house. He wasn't begging anyone to come help him. His voice didn't sound desperate. Even if Dally did show up, Steve would more than likely send him away, not Terrence. Soda wanted to trust that maybe Steve had a plan in place for himself, but even that possibility wasn't comforting.

The weekend was going to be long. The weekend was going to be slow. Steve couldn't remember the last time he had a weekend without some action in it, and he wasn't looking forward to it. He was expecting himself to feel more worried what his father exactly had planned, but he felt confident he could keep things at peace if he just behaved himself. If there was one thing Steve wasn't looking forward to this weekend, it was being bored out of his mind. Terrence made sure to have Steve call the DX and claim a family emergency for the weekend. Thankfully, Steve only had to work that Saturday morning, so it wasn't much work to miss. He was thankful he had such a good relationship with Mr. Huffman. He was a great boss in general to everyone, but he especially knew he'd never find someone like Steve to make their garage a success. The downside was Steve hated missing work, because he enjoyed working with cars. He loved when a customer brought in an older car and he got to really look at it. At least the garage wasn't too backed up in work, so Steve wasn't too worried about it. He just didn't want to be bored.

That night, Terrence was taking care of his 'first order of business,' which was setting the 'new ground rules.' Terrence threatened if the rules were disobeyed, Steve would have to pay the consequences. He relayed how as a boy, children were disciplined well and quick with physical punishments. No child got away with anything, because they were raised right. Terrence planned to do the same with Steve. He again explained how Darry and Soda weren't raise right, because the Curtis parents didn't use physical discipline. 'But they are happy,' Steve thought to himself, 'not scared to be in their own home.'

Steve was unsure how he felt about his father's statements. It seemed simple enough to avoid being hit. Just listen to his father and he wouldn't get smacked. Well, Steve wasn't naive, he knew it wouldn't be that simple. Terrence told Steve about his childhood where his dad would do more than just a smack in the face, but he didn't go into details on what was beyond those smacks. His father claimed it taught him well though.

Steve also wasn't sure about the rules. He had to respond to his father at all times with respect, following with 'sir.' He must keep eye contact at all times in conversation. He couldn't speak unless spoken to. There would be chores he had to complete each day. He'd have to ask about going to see friends, or leaving the house at all. And to really have full control of the house, Terrence added in that he will change the rules whenever he felt necessary and Steve would have to adjust as so.

Tomorrow, Terrence wanted to continue to talk about the Curtis family and what happened after Eliza's death. This weekend was going to be treated as a father-son weekend, he claimed. Terrence wanted to get them back on their feet, the way he wanted their lives to be. Steve didn't want to talk about his mom, especially with his father. He didn't want to talk about her death. He didn't want to talk about Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. Even if what he was claiming about them was true, Steve would rather live a lie. He'd continue being best friends with Soda and part of the greasers.

Steve continued to feel uneasy as his father sent him to bed. He wasn't sure what to expect of this weekend. He didn't know what his father was going to tell him about his mom and her death. It made him nervous. He didn't usually like talking about his mom anyway. He grieved on his own when she died, and he continued to grieve on his own when he went through moments of missing her. No one ever helped him with the grieving, so doing it alone was the way he knew how to do it best.

Laying in bed, Steve got himself comfortable under his blanket. He shook off any uncertainties. If he was going to get through all of this, he was going to have to be tough like he would be towards anyone else.

"I'll be okay."

* * *

Soda couldn't help, but be wide awake in bed. Ponyboy was fast asleep. He tried to comfort Sodapop earlier, giving him high hopes that Steve was one of the toughest in the gang next to Dally. Everyone tried helping that night. Everyone kept saying how Steve wouldn't just let anything happen, how he would protect himself, and how he would find a way to get help if he needed it. Everyone tried convincing Soda, and even each other, that it was probably for the best they stayed out of it. Darry could see clearly that no one wanted to just stay out of it, but they were so unsure what was going on at the Randle house that they didn't know if they could just show up. Soda couldn't help, but fear that things wouldn't be okay though. He tried to put together what Terrence's intentions were, but he was left empty.

Finally giving up on sleep, Soda went downstairs and walked outside. He found one of the greasers' pack of cigarettes on the porch rails. Reaching in, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. He took a long drag and slowly let it out. As he continued smoking, he looked up at the moon and stars. There was no cloud in sight as the stars twinkled across the sky.

"Please be okay."


	18. Chapter 18

Nothing could have prepared Steve for Saturday. Absolutely nothing. Terrence claimed he needed to make sure the rules and respect got placed into Steve, for good. Steve wasn't sure what that meant, until Terrence explained he was going to put him what he went through with his dad. That made Steve's heart drop and his stomach jump at the same time. Even though it was a feeling and not his organs actually reacting, it still hurt more than getting punched in the gut. The long wait to find out what he meant didn't help either, but Steve could have guessed that was part of his father's game was to mess with him mentally too. He knew he'd have to stay a step ahead of his father and not break to him.

"Steve!"

Steve jumped. He was sitting on his bed, unsure what was about to happen. He slowly got up, and opened his bedroom door, just waiting.

"Come in here," Terrence called from his room. The cold, demand in his voice pushed Steve out into the hallway, past the bathroom, to his father's doorway. His heart was pounding, telling him to turn around. His mind was racing, telling him to get out of the house. Deep down, he knew something wasn't right. The floor was like glue keeping his feet in place. Steve peered into his father's room, but couldn't see anything different or unusual.

"Get in here," the voice from inside the bedroom snarled.

Steve took a few steps in the bedroom. The slowest steps he had probably ever taken in his life. "When I got out of line for a while, my dad had a way of getting me back into shape. Kind of like breaking a horse." Steve gulped at those words. Knowing Sodapop and Dally so well, he knew what it could take to break a horse. Even Dally didn't like breaking a horse so bad though. Terrence pointed to the bed, "Lean over." Confused, Steve walked to the side of the bed, got on his knees, and leaned over onto the sheets. He just did whatever his father told him to do, not taking anytime to think what he could be getting himself into.

"What is happening?" Steve mumbled, not realizing he had said it out loud.

"I really don't want to do this, son," Terrence said, "I remember how bad this hurt and I hate to do it to you, but I should've done this a long time ago. I should've taken control a long time ago. Better late than never though. This will fix everything."

Steve closed his eyes. He heard a light jingle sound. 'No,' Steve thought to himself. He had a picture in his mind of what his father was holding, but he didn't want to believe it. A vision flashed in his mind of Johnny Cade. A picture of Johnny on the floor in his room, and his dad holding what he would use to break him, make him fear.

Steve felt tears form within his closed eyelids, but he forced them back with some quick breaths. He waited until the tears were forced gone, and then slowly opened them. As soon as he had eye contact with the wall, a sharp sting made contact with his back. Steve's eyes slammed back shut and he grit his teeth together hard. 'This is not happening.' The pain that ruptured in his back swam up his neck and into his head. A second sting. 'This cannot be fucking happening.' Steve gripped the sheets tight. He wouldn't be surprised if he ripped them. His whole body began to shake. He needed help. His ears were starting to fill with voices, as if he could almost hear Soda yelling at him. _'Get out of there, Steve! What are you doing? Get out!'_ Breathing in and out as fast as he could, Steve prepared himself for another blow. The third one hit, and then Steve triggered. Steve's temper got the best of him. He jumped up from his position, swung around, and let his fist fly at his father's face. The contact felt great. The adrenaline blocked out what his back may be going through at that moment.

Terrence stumbled back into the wall, a belt in his hand. Just as quick as Steve fought back, Terrence bounced from the wall and flew back at Steve. He dropped the belt and wrapped both hands around Steve's throat.

"This is what I'm talking about, boy!" Terrence barked. Steve grabbed his father's hands and fought back desperately, but Terrence didn't budge. "You're trying to be in control. You're trying to run this house. You think you can just hit me?" Steve began feeling the tight grip cut his air short. His legs began to buckle as he fell to his knees on the floor. His eyes began to flood, his vision began to blur, and his chest start to hurt. "I am in charge! You are just the boy. You are nothing! And you will obey me." Steve fought with all his strength. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think straight. All he could do was fight for his life. Terrence slightly chuckled, "No one is here to help you, because no one cares about you. Only me." Steve began hitting his father's arms, trying to signal his desperation to him. "You will be punished if you don't obey."

Terrence gave one last squeeze and let his grip go. Steve couldn't control himself as his body collapsed to the ground. He began to harshly cough, like when he had tried his first cigarette. Between coughs he would gag. He desperately inhaled air, but also choked on his coughs. His chest was on fire. His vision was full of black spots racing all over. Panic began to rise in him as the air couldn't seem to reach his lungs. Turning to his side, Steve violently coughed, half expecting to begin vomiting.

"Are we on the same page now?" Terrence snarled from above and walked out of the room. Steve stayed on the ground still dragging in air. His coughing slowly began to calm down. He closed his eyes and focused on making his breaths even.

Steve slightly rolled to lay on his back. It felt like he laid there for a long time, unsure if he ever actually passed out at some point. He kept his eyes shut and let his lungs expand as far as they would go. 'Being a smoker probably didn't help this,' Steve thought to himself. He allowed himself time to let his strength return. Slowly turning over to his other side, Steve opened his eyes, and saw the belt on the floor. He had been hit, punched, kicked, had knives pushed against his skin, had chains swung towards him, but being whipped by a belt against his back was something different. That was a new pain. It was also a new territory when it was in his own home. His home should be where he could escape the fights and wounds. Steve didn't want to look at his back. He didn't even need to look at his back. He could feel the marks forming with some moisture, which was probably slight bleeding.

Steve attempted to swallow as his mouth began to fill with saliva. At least he thought it was saliva, maybe it was some vomit or blood. He took a deep breath as it hurt his throat to do what should've been an easy task. He slowly rolled over onto his stomach, wincing at the pain in his back. Everything had happened so fast, Steve could already feel it blurring in his mind. His vision finally cleared up as he grabbed the bed sheets and slowly pulled himself up onto his knees.

Hearing footsteps come towards the room again, Steve looked over and saw his father standing there. Steve felt cornered. He knew he couldn't get up and run. If his father wanted to kill him now, he could.

"I don't want to have to do this again," his father said firmly, "Behave, like I keep telling you, and this won't have to happen."

Terrence walked away, leaving his son grasping the bed. Steve was just thankful to be breathing in air again.

* * *

Steve woke up in his bed. He wasn't sure if he made it to his bed himself, or if he passed out in his father's room first. He swallowed. The pain in his throat flashed a vision of his father's hands around his neck. The pain caused him to quickly turn into sitting up, which made Steve yelp in pain. He had forgotten about his back. "Damnit," he winced. The pain shot through his entire back and it lingered.

"Steve!" Terrence yelled from downstairs, "If you're getting up, come downstairs!"

Steve looked out his bedroom window. It wasn't dark yet, but the sun was slowly beginning to set. He stood up, gritting his teeth at the pain in his back. When he stood up, he let out a breath he had been holding. He walked out of his bedroom and began down the stairs. He couldn't help but limp, trying to keep his back as still as possible.

Downstairs, Terrence was sitting on the couch. Steve leaned against the wall. He felt awfully weak. Steve has suffered broken ribs before. He was surprised how much worse this back pain felt.

"Come sit down," Terrence patted the couch cushion. Steve limped to the couch and slowly lowered himself. "We need to have a talk."

Steve looked at his father, "Okay." He took a few deep breaths to get the back pain to subside. Maybe that's what made it worse. Whenever the pain occurred, it never went away quickly and it was harder to just breathe away.

"I know you're probably in a lot of pain, but this will put us on the right track," Terrence said like a record player, "But what I would like to talk about now is your mom, the Curtis family, and everything. I want to help you understand."

Steve nodded, "Okay. What happened?"

Terrence took a couple deep breaths, which surprised Steve. He couldn't tell if he was upset or mad or even scared. "Your mother was amazing. I don't think you understand the half of it, because you were still kind of young. She was the most amazing mom and wife. I was so happy and you were a happy boy. You had a great home and a great best friend as you know. Your mom and Mrs. Curtis were great friends. I wasn't the most social person, but Mr. Curtis and I got along fine. He was friendly to me. We all got along great since we'd be seeing a lot of each other as you and Soda became friends so young. Then..." Terrence trailed off as he stared towards the wall.

Steve swallowed, "She got sick."

Terrence looked at Steve, obviously not liking he interrupted, but let it go. "Yes. Our sweet Eliza passed away. I was lost. I didn't know how to be a single dad. I realized how much your mother really did for us. I-I...I was very lost and sad and angry. A lot was going on with me, and a lot was going on with you too of course. I was pushing my own problems away and focusing on you. Maybe that was why I started drinking. I neglected myself too much and I became unwell myself. That's when Mr. and Mrs. Curtis came around a lot. I don't know how, but they seemed to sense something was going on here, because that day they randomly showed up..."

Steve remembered that day. One day Mr. and Mrs. Curtis showed up at the Randle house, unannounced, to talk with Terrence. It wasn't so unannounced or lucky though. There was one day Steve had vented to them about his father. He told them how sad he was about his mom and all his father did was drink. He told them there was even a night his father didn't return home until the sun was practically rising. Steve knew it was a lie that Terrence was recalling so much focus on Steve from his mom's death. He absolutely wasn't there for Steve, at all. And that's what he vented to the Curtis family about. He was a young boy, completely alone, and that's what lead to them showing up to talk with Terrence.

"...to talk with me. And they offered to help me, help us. And at the time I had to accept that help, Steve. I had no choice. I needed someone to just offer help without me asking or begging. It was a mistake though, I'd come to find out. They took over. They 100% took over our lives. They had three kids, so of course they assumed they were perfect parents. At first, you going over there so much wasn't that bad. It gave me alone time to figure out what I needed to do. But then I saw what was happening. They decided to become your mom and dad. I wasn't being a dad to their standards, so they did it for me. They took you for sleepovers all the time. You and Soda got to hang out all the time. I never got a chance, I never got a fucking chance to raise you how I wanted!"

Steve gulped at his father's anger rising. He felt his back tense, thinking how he had basically become his father's punching bag to take things out on.

"It was their fault my drinking got out of hand. Anyone would normally say I should've fixed my drinking and I can't blame someone else for it. It was true though, Steve. It was 100% their fault I hit rock bottom. I couldn't just stop them from what they were doing though. You were happy again, Steve. You were so happy. I had to let them keep doing what they were doing, but I...I had to drink it away too. I felt I had lost my only son as quick as I lost my wife, so I drank heavily. I drank to forget. I can admit it, Steve, I completely gave up. When I would tell them that I got a promotion or I got better hours and could handle things myself now, they just didn't budge. They weren't sure I could handle everything, they didn't think I knew how to raise my own son anymore, and they kept blaming the alcohol. But damnit, it wasn't the alcohol. If I could have just had my son back, I would have stopped drinking right then and there. That's all I needed."

Terrence stood up, put his hands on his hips and looked out the window shaking his head.

"They didn't give me that chance though. No one gave me a chance. And then they died, and...as angry as I was at them, I felt for Darrel and Sodapop and Ponyboy. I really did feel for them. And I felt for you all over again, because it was as if your second mom was gone. I was scared for you. But I did have a little hope that maybe things would turn around for us. It didn't though. You seemed to have your opinion set on me and so did Darry. I was beaten. I lost the battle."

Steve couldn't help but feel tears in his eyes as his father spoke. Was this all true? Was his relationship with his own father destroyed, because of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis?

Terrence turned to face Steve, "I know this all may be of a shock to you. You are so close to that family, and I don't want to put harsh feelings on everyone, but you deserve the truth. I deserve my son back."


	19. Chapter 19

Steve didn't realize he was going to break down after his father's story. He did though. He bawled hard. Harder than he would ever admit to anybody. Terrence sat on the couch and pulled Steve into a hug. He told Steve he didn't blame him for anything. He told Steve he didn't hate him. He told Steve he wanted the chance he never got. As good as it should have been to hear those things, it was all overwhelming for Steve. Terrence attempted to soothe him by running a hand through Steve's hair. It wasn't that calming though as Steve continued to revisit the moment his father grabbed his hair and slammed it onto the table, and the time his father yanked him upward by the hair. Each brush of his father's hand made him slightly shudder.

Steve swallowed hard as his cries began to calm down, "Can I go to bed, please? I don't know if I can listen to anything else. I have a lot to think about."

"I know you're probably tired, but I need to explain something else to you," Terrence said as he let go of Steve.

Steve looked up at his father. His eyes were pleading to be done, but he stayed silent as he didn't want to try and upset his father again. "Okay," Steve said looking down to his lap.

"First, I'll make us some soup. It will help your throat." Terrence got up and headed into the kitchen. Steve couldn't help, but roll his eyes whenever his father tried helping him with an injury he caused himself. It didn't make up for the fact he did what he did. Either way, Steve couldn't believe all he had just heard. Terrence said he didn't want there to be harsh feelings, but Steve couldn't help but feel a little anger. He didn't believe his father didn't want harsh feelings anyway. The way he explained everything sounded spiteful. All these years, all Steve wanted was for his father to stop drinking. He just wanted his father to stop making mistakes. He wanted his father to be sober and just be there for him. He wanted his father to not kick him out all the time, not ignore him, not choose the alcohol over him, and just love him. He wanted his father to just simply care. If there really was a chance for that type of relationship with his father all this time, but someone was getting in the way, Steve would be mad about it.

After a while, Terrence brought out two bowls of hot soup. Steve sipped some of the broth, letting the heat soothe his aching throat. His stomach began to growl as he swallowed the soup. The fear and pain he had been dealing with all day had really blocked out any hunger he had. He didn't feel comfortable filling up though. The anxiety was just hovering over Steve like a cloak, but he couldn't get out of it.

"Steve, this next part is going to be hard to hear," Terrence began after taking a few spoonfuls in.

Steve sighed, "Dad, honestly this has all been hard to hear so far. Everything has been hard to deal with." Steve placed his soup on the side table. He leaned forward and placed his hand on his head that was starting to ache. He just wanted to go lay down so bad.

"I know. Do you understand why I'm doing the things I'm doing though?"

Steve didn't. He had no idea why he had to go through the physical agony. If it really was the Curtis parents fault, why did he have to take the punishment? He nodded anyway to his father's question, "Yes, sir."

"Steve, all these years I did truly care about you. I loved you. You have to know that. You may not believe me, but I have always loved you. And I'm going to work to prove that to you."

Those words. Steve would have given anything to hear those words for years now. He never thought much of those words, but hearing it from his father was different. Steve wiped at his eyes, trying to stop any more tears from flowing out of his burning eyes, "Stop, please."

"But there was something I figured out. When I first was ready to take over my life again, Mr. Curtis seemed to refuse to give me a chance, I was baffled. I was ready to really start our lives again, me and you, since your mom passed. But I think I figured out what was really going on. I do believe Mr. and Mrs. Curtis cared about you in the beginning, I truly do. But, I think things became...more."

"Huh?" Steve looked at Terrence with confusion.

"I think they got very attached to you. I don't know if you remember, but when your mom first passed and they helped me out, you went over there a lot. Sometimes you went for a few days or on a week long trip with them. And that was fine, sometimes them taking you in was very helpful for me. You got to stay close to Sodapop and you got to do things that I wouldn't have been able to provide. Not just because of money, but I was just in such a dark place, you would've just sat here at home watching me sulk in everything. I think I let it go too far though, because I think Mrs. Curtis began believing you were another son of hers," Terrence looked at the floor, "As soon as I started getting on my feet with work and the house, she just refused to lighten up. I think she was seeing you as her fourth child, and was willing to do anything to keep me out. She knew I wouldn't fight back."

"Dad..."

"I know it may sound crazy, but I believe that with all of my heart, Steve. You didn't see everything the way I did. It hurts me to tell you this, but you need to hear it now. You don't deserve to live a lie. I know how you saw her, but I think their intentions were not in the best interest of you. They wanted you to be theirs. It wasn't because they cared though. They just weren't willing to let go. They knew it was morally right for you to be my son, but they didn't want that for themselves. They were having selfish wants. In the end, you didn't realize it yet, but it was hurting you. And I think Darry knew some of it, and decided to also keep you closer to them than to me. Damnit Steve, I'm mad at myself for all of this. For putting you in the care of people who didn't truly care about you, who didn't want the best for you. I'm so sorry."

Steve suddenly stood up from the couch. It was too fast though, as the pain in his back caused him to drop to his knees. The realization hit him of how bad this was. Even if he wanted to get out of the house, how far was he going to get? Terrence had injured him. Terrence had injured him to the point he couldn't defend himself. It scared Steve to think about that. He realized Terrence knew exactly what he was doing when choosing how to punish Steve. He wanted to make it impossible for Steve to escape.

"Steve, settle down," Terrence helped Steve back up.

"This can't all be right," Steve threw his arms in the air shaking his father off of him.

"It is, Steve," Terrence's voice became firm, "It's hard to hear, but it's all true."

"Dad, the gang doesn't just not care about me," Steve argued, "Things would be a lot different if they only had me around to keep on Mrs. Curtis' wishes."

"Don't push it Steve. I am telling you the truth."

"No dad!"

With the voice raise, Terrence smacked Steve in the face causing him to to turn away. "I thought we were getting past this Steve. I don't want to have a repeat of earlier, just because you don't know how to show respect."

Steve held his cheek with his hand and his back facing Terrence. He refused to look at his father. "It...cannot...be true," he muttered.

Terrence shoved Steve's back, causing him to wince and collapse. As soon as his body hit the floor, Steve yelled in pain. Terrence got down to the floor and got up close to Steve. As quick as Terrence could want to fix their relationship, he was also quick to turn around and become violent again. "Listen to me, boy. I am the only one who cares about you. No one else does. I will get that through your head. You deserve the truth!"

Terrence stood up and stormed out of the house, leaving his son on the floor.

Steve kept himself on the floor. He was in too much pain to get up. He just preferred the floor at that point since his father left. Taking in the silence, Steve knew he had to reflect what his father said. There was no way he could ignore it anymore. That just wasn't a realistic choice at this time. He closed his eyes and tried to remember his childhood. He tried to see his childhood through Terrence's eyes, through Mrs. Curtis' eyes, through his own eyes. He needed answers.

He remembered telling Mrs. Curtis about his father drinking and him changing since his mom died. He told Mrs. Curtis how scared he got the night his father didn't even come home. Every little noise scared him as a little boy. He would sneak downstairs to look for his father, but then scared himself back upstairs. That entire night he sat in his bed and just waited. Was his father going to come home? Was someone going to break in? Steve slightly shivered remembering how terrifying that night really was for him. That was what lead to Steve not liking to be alone. When his father would kick him out, he never slept at the park or the lot or in his car, he always had to be with somebody, so the couch at Soda's house was the perfect spot for him. Shortly after Steve confided, Mrs. Curtis showed up at the Randle house with Mr. Curtis, and they had a long talk with Terrence while Steve played outside with Sodapop. They were smart to bring Sodapop to distract Steve. It did work. Steve hadn't realized the reason for the unannounced visit once Soda was keeping Steve's attention on him. Steve remembered both of them were called inside the house after they all had talked. Terrence had gone into his room, but Mrs. Curtis explained to Steve what his father was going through. Steve remembered her explanation very well too. His father was grieving for Eliza, but he didn't know the right way to do that, especially with a young boy.

"And that's why you were left alone," Steve whispered to himself, remembering Mrs. Curtis' words to him, "But it will never happen again."

She told Steve that they were going to be helping his father out, and she told Soda he'd have to be a big helper. Soda was excited at the idea that Steve would be over at their house a lot.

Steve opened his eyes as he repeated Soda's words that day, "We will be like brothers, except I already have two brothers, but you can still be like a brother to me." Steve smiled as he remembered Soda's excitement taking over his ability to think straight and form a decent sentence. Tears formed in his eyes as he closed them again.

As their childhood went on, Steve spent a lot of time at the Curtis household. It seemed like him and Soda were always hanging out or having sleepovers. He never thought anything of it, because he was just having fun with his best friend. And Mrs. Curtis was the sweetest angel to him. She was always offering to bring him to school, to help with homework or projects, to make him dinner, and just anything she could find to do for him. Again, Steve thought nothing of it, because she was being so nice. And Steve was yearning for a mother in his life, so who was he to deny her?

Steve did remember a few years passed, and he always did spend more time at the Curtis house than his own. That was mainly because if Terrence wasn't home after school, Mrs. Curtis didn't want to leave Steve alone at home. It was like she could sense how scared he could get being alone, no matter how old he got. He never knew why his father was gone so much though, but he was usually told it was work keeping him late. Steve remembered feeling down about not seeing his father much. He felt somewhat guilty for telling Mrs. Curtis his father's struggles, because then he suddenly didn't see his father anymore. When he told Mrs. Curtis about the guilt, she comforted him and assured him Terrence was trying his best. Steve knew he would probably never know what was really going on, because Mrs. Curtis probably didn't always know where Terrence really was.

Steve remembered when Terrence did tell him about his new job one evening. He seemed happy and hopeful for it. It was weekday hours, so he'd be home for Steve after school and on the weekends. It was great pay, so he could do more with Steve and for Steve. He was so excited to see his father this way. The next time he saw Soda, he told Mrs. Curtis the news. She appeared thrilled, and even told Steve she couldn't wait to talk to Terrence about it. Was that Steve's mistake? Was he not suppose to tell Mrs. Curtis that news? She felt she needed to confront Terrence about the job, but find a way to continue the lifestyle she was giving Steve.

And now all these years later, Steve and Terrence's relationship was awful. Terrence kicked Steve out a lot. They fought a lot. Terrence drank all the time. Steve avoided home whenever possible. A picture began to form, but Steve wanted to push the possibility away.

The second Steve opened his eyes, the tears stung. He turned his head as they flowed down his face.

'I need to see Soda. I need his help,' he thought to himself, 'But...can I talk to Soda about this? Will he be honest?'

Slowly and carefully, Steve pulled himself back up. He straightened himself out and let his back scream. He may have been too hurt to get out himself, but he could still find a way out. Steve took slow steps into the kitchen and lifted the phone.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Wow, I was overwhelmed with reviews the last chapter! They were awesome you guys! Thanks so much for all the support!

Steve waited on his front porch. He assumed his father had gone out for drinks, so hopefully he'd be out for a while, if not all night. The porch swing felt safer anyway. If he saw his father's truck start coming, Steve figured maybe he'd have a slightly chance at getting away.

It wasn't long until Darry's truck was pulling up and stopped at the side of the road. Steve didn't move. That anxiety caused him to freeze again. Soda jumped out of the driver seat and rushed over to Steve's side. He clearly had been holding in the urge to just run to Steve's house since yesterday.

"Steve?" Soda looked at his best friend's face sounding scared and relieved, "What's going on? What happened?"

Steve took a deep breath. He couldn't get into it right there. If he tried to speak, he'd just cry. "Just take me to your house. Please," Steve pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go." Steve stood up and slightly limped into Darry's truck. Soda's eyes widen as he watched his best friend walk clearly in a lot of pain. It made Soda's stomach queasy. He appeared to walk in slow motion and Soda could barely contain himself. He didn't want to think about what had just happened to Steve.

It was a silent ride. Soda didn't ask Steve anything. As much as he didn't want to, he decided he would let Steve decide how and when to start the conversation. The obvious thing was more had been done. Steve had a fresh red mark on his cheek and there were dark markings on his neck. It made Soda want to scream and cry, but he held his composure for his best friend's sake. As much as Soda knew he shouldn't be surprised that something had happened, he was still just as furious. Soda vowed to himself that he wouldn't let Steve go back home, no matter what anyone else said.

Pulling up into the driveway, Soda turned off the truck and looked at Steve. "I...kind of forgot to tell you that everyone is here. As soon as you called, I just kind of rushed out."

Steve stared through the windshield, "So they are expecting me?"

Soda shook his head, "I told Darry I was coming to get you, but I kept it quiet. I mean...they all probably know though."

Steve thought for a moment. "I might as well just go in. They will all find out anyway."

"Okay. Are you ready?"

Steve nodded. Soda got out of the driver side and hurried over to the passenger side. He helped Steve out. Soda could feel his own chest ache as he listened to Steve get out of the truck, breathing through any pain he may be going through. Soda attempted to wrap his arm around Steve's waist, but Steve denied it.

"Don't need to make it appear worse than they may be expecting," Steve said quietly.

"Steve, I don't know if you've looked in a mirror," Soda sighed, "But you limping isn't going to look like the worst of it."

Steve looked down, shaking his head. He hadn't looked in a mirror. He didn't want to know how his face looked. "Soda, I can't tell everyone what happened."

"You don't have to. You don't even have to tell me. I will wait until you're ready to talk. I promise," Soda assured him, "And you know the guys will understand. They may be furious, which you would be too for any of them. But you don't have to talk about it. I'll help you with that."

Steve waited a minute. He didn't want to go home, but he didn't want to face the gang either. Which would be more difficult to handle? Go deal with his drunk father, or deal with the gang as they see him for the first time? One will be scary, and the other will be overwhelming. He could deal with one person who will just smack him and go pass out, or he would have to deal with multiple people who won't just let this go. Steve took a couple deep breaths and looked back up at the Curtis house. "Okay. Le-Let's go." The two boys began walking to the front door.

"It's okay, it's okay," Soda said, "Let's just walk in."

The gang was having a rowdy Saturday night. Darry was in his armchair attempting to watch TV, Dally and Two-Bit were playing cards at the kitchen table being pretty loud, and Johnny was on the floor with Ponyboy playing a board game. Everyone seemed preoccupied. They all noticed Soda left, but weren't expecting what was about to come through the front door.

Darry was the first to look over as the door opened, since he knew exactly where Soda was going. His eyes got wide and his mouth slowly dropped open. Pony and Johnny looked over next. Ponyboy looked at Steve and then at Soda with a worried expression. He was clearly debating if Steve got jumped and if Soda almost got jumped too. Johnny took one quick look, and then just looked at the floor shaking his head and couldn't look back up. He knew how his face could look sometimes, and he never got used to it. Two-Bit and Dally could sense something was going on as the small talk in the living room had quieted down. They peeked over and saw Steve and Soda at the doorway. They stood up to go greet the boys, but as they entered the living room and really saw Steve, they froze in their tracks. Dally's ice eyes appeared to get colder. That even scared Soda. Two-Bit gulped as he put a hand over his mouth. His happy eyes began to look full of rage. Dally and Two-Bit were concerned about Steve, but thought if anything would happen, he would defend himself. They could see something terrible had to have happened to keep Steve from doing just that.

Steve could feel his air supply shorten. He began breathing faster and his legs shook. All eyes were on him. There were different expressions ranging from sadness to fear to anger. He took a step back to the front door. He needed to escape. He couldn't be here right now. Darry could see what Steve was going to do as he leaped from his armchair.

"Darry, I'm sorry," Steve panicked as Darry grabbed his arm. Darry began leading Steve up the stairs. "I'm sorry, Darry, I'm sorry," Steve kept repeating as he was brought upstairs, down the hall, and into Darry's room. He wasn't sure why, but the fear made him repeatedly apologize. As Darry closed his bedroom door, Steve sat on the bed.

Soda remained at the front door as he watched his older brother and best friend disappear up the stairs. He couldn't help but feel relieved, and happy. It was odd to be feeling like that during the time, but he felt like Steve was finally safe and Darry was going to take control.

"What's going on?" Dally demanded Soda.

"Is Steve okay?" Pony asked.

Soda looked at the gang and nodded, "Yeah. He's okay now."

Upstairs, Steve winced from the back pain from being forced up the stairs. He knew it wasn't Darry's fault, but it did hurt bad. He looked up at Darry and could only feel disappointment from him. "Darry..."

"Don't apologize again," Darry said, "Just tell me what the hell happened to you."

Steve swallowed and took a deep breath. As soon as he started talking, he just let it all out. No point in holding anything back. He just stared at the floor and refused eye contact. That little thing made Steve angry at himself. His own father took away his own confidence to be able to talk to people like a regular person. He had begun to feel lower than dirt about himself because of his father, and it was starting to show. "He wanted to do something his dad did to him, at least that's what he says. He had me lean against his bed, and he hit me with his belt. But...then my own temper got the best of me, and I took a swing at him. So then he ch-choked me."

Darry walked over to Steve and lifted his chin. He could see the markings on Steve's neck. It made his stomach turn, and it could take a lot to make Darry feel sick. Then he lifted Steve up by his arm. Steve hissed and crouched over, unable to stand anymore. "Sorry, sorry," Darry said, taking a mental note to be careful and not let his frustration take over, "I just want to look." Steve slowly turned away and Darry carefully lifted his shirt. He tried his hardest not to react out loud, but the scene was awful. Steve's back had bruising and multiple cuts that had bled. Darry could make out the welts where the belt had hit.

"Oh Steve," Darry shook his head. Steve closed his eyes. He just wanted this to be over. "You should let me look at these. I don't want them to get infected or..."

"Oh my God!" Darry and Steve both turned towards the bedroom door. Soda had sneaked a peek inside and saw Steve's back that had been facing the doorway.

"Soda, go downstairs, please," Darry firmly said stepping between Soda's view. Steve felt his head hang low as he heard the door close. 'This is not happening,' he thought to himself, 'This cannot be happening like this.'

"I cannot believe what I've put him through," Steve said standing up and pulling his shirt back down in frustration.

"He's your best friend and he loves you. We all do. You haven't put anyone through anything," Darry explained, "Can you let us help you now?"

Steve was silent for a moment, and eventually nodded.

"Good, let me go get the first aid." Darry closed his bedroom door behind him and found Soda sitting in the hallway. He had his knees up, and his face buried into his folded arms. Darry walked over and knelt down, placing a hand on Soda's back. Slowly, Soda lifted his face to look at his older brother with tear-stained cheeks. "Soda, he's okay," Darry reassured, "It looks bad, and he's in pain. But he is okay."

Soda's eyes continued to let tears out, but he didn't cry. "Darry, I knew it was bad. When I picked him up and he could barely walk to the truck, I knew it was bad. I didn't realize..." Soda trailed off as he looked up at the ceiling, "I didn't know it was _that_ bad."

"I didn't know either," Darry swallowed, "Did you hear what happened?" Soda shook his head. "Do you want to know?"

Soda thought for a minute. He took a deep sigh, "No...but I should know."

"Let me get him cleaned up, and we can talk in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay," Soda said lying his head back onto his arms, "Thank you Darry."

"For what?" Darry asked as he stood back up.

"Just taking care of him," Soda sighed, "Darry?"

"Yeah?"

"Is anything going to happen to him? I mean from the injuries?" Soda asked.

Darry shook his head, "I doubt it. I'll get him cleaned up and everything and hopefully that helps enough."

The gang didn't bother Steve for the night. When he returned downstairs with Darry, they all went back to what they were doing. Soda got Steve to join the card game with Two-Bit and Dally. Two-Bit couldn't help but cringe every time he got a glance at Steve. He could never get use to seeing Johnny get a good smack to the face, so seeing how bad Steve looked made him sick to his stomach. Dally didn't try to hide it. Even though he didn't verbally say anything to Steve, everyone could feel the tension he was holding. He didn't try to hide his stare at Steve either or his disgusted angry look. Steve did his best to ignore, he knew Dally meant well. Everyone in the gang noticed Steve's limp when he walked and the pained expression on his face. They all had their own images for that, and they all were angry by what they were imagining.

"Who wants to play basketball outside?" Two-Bit offered needing some fresh air, "This game is getting quiet."

"Let's do it," Soda got up from his chair.

"Johnny, Ponyboy, come play!" Two-Bit called opening the backdoor.

"I'll meet you guys out there. I'm grabbing a beer," Dally said. The other greasers headed outside and Dally remained inside with Darry. Darry walked into the kitchen as Dally closed the fridge. "What happened to him?" Dally asked Darry as he popped open a beer.

Darry began collecting the cards that were left on the table, "Are you going to march to his house and beat the shit out of Terrence? Because believe me, I have to hold back from doing that myself."

"No," Dally answered taking a sip, "But if Steve tries to go back, I can drag his dumb ass away."

Darry sighed, "I hope he doesn't go back either Dally, but it is a bit more complicated than that."

"How? We got Johnny to stay away from his home as much as possible. Whether he comes here or Two-Bit's, he doesn't stupidly go home unless he really has to. What's so different about this?" Dally asked, "I'll fight Steve on it if he tries telling all of us he's just fine. His legs are about to give out on him, so I fucking dare him to tell me it's all okay."

"It's not really Steve that's different. His dad is different than Johnny's parents. Johnny's parents just don't give a shit. Johnny can leave and they'll let him. They don't care if they ever see him again. Terrence isn't like that and you know it. He showed up here looking for Steve earlier this week. He doesn't just not care about Steve and wants him to get out of the house. He wants Steve home, he wants to keep Steve under his watch and control. I won't be surprised if he shows up here tonight or tomorrow night to bring Steve home," Darry explained.

"You can't let him take Steve if he does show up," Dally warned, "I will step in between that shit."

"Believe me, Dally, I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen. I also got to make sure Steve doesn't want to go back either," Darry sighed. Darry knew that could become his biggest battle. Steve may have called for help tonight, but what if he feels differently tomorrow? Or even a couple hours?

Dally took a long swig of beer, "You still didn't tell me what happened to him. It was obviously something bad."

"Well," Darry ran a hand along the back of his neck. He didn't like spilling it without Steve knowing, but Darry knew Dally wasn't going to let it go easily. He'd just harass Steve next if he didn't spill. Darry sighed, "Apparently Terrence took a belt to Steve's back. I put some ointment on it, so hopefully it doesn't get infected. It looked pretty bad though. And Steve tried to fight back, but then...Terrence choked him."

"What?" Dally asked with some shock.

"I know," Darry nodded already knowing Dally's thoughts, "As I said, it's not exactly like Johnny's parents."

"What are you thinking of doing?"

Darry shrugged, "I'll see if Steve sticks to wanting us to help him. He said he wants me to help now, so I can only hope it stays that way."

Dally tossed his beer in the trash, ending the conversation, and the two boys went outside to join the basketball game. Steve didn't really participate in the game, and no one asked him to. He mainly sat on the porch steps smoking a cigarette. The rest of the gang got pretty competitive during the gang, all knowing they were just sweating out frustration and anxiety.

After some play time, the gang started to depart. Dally and Johnny began walking down the street. Two-Bit told Steve to let him know if he needed anything at all before driving off. The Curtis brothers and Steve went back in the house. Soda and Pony went upstairs to get ready for bed. Pony wanted to ask Soda questions, but decided against it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to really know anything. Steve was on the couch watching TV while Darry cleaned some dishes. Everything his father said was bugging him. It was making his stomach feel queasy now that he was around Darry. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep with it running through his head, so he stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen.

"Darry, can I talk to you?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Darry began drying his hands. They both sat at the kitchen table. "Need a beer?"

Steve nodded. Darry handed him a drink and waited for him to begin. "I don't know how to talk to Soda about this," Steve admitted.

"That's fine. I'll listen," Darry assured.

"Some things my dad have said to me the past couple days. They've been crazy, and I don't know if they're true or not. I've just been confused," Steve shook his head.

"What has he told you?"

Steve started playing with his fingers. He didn't know how Darry would react to his father's accusations and stories. Would he admit to something that maybe was true? Or would he be furious if they are lies? Steve couldn't worry about Darry's reactions and scare himself from talking about it. He just needed answers.

"I remember when I was younger, I told your mom about how my dad was drinking and just having weird behaviors that made me feel just...I guess not that great being at home. And about that night my dad just didn't come home. She showed up to talk to my dad with your dad, and then she talked to me about how my dad just wasn't well. So she helped us out a lot. I was here all the time," Steve explained.

"Yeah, I remember all of that," Darry nodded, "You probably didn't understand it at the time, but your dad was sick. He was quickly falling into the alcohol and staying out at super late hours, which was a lot different back then because you were so young and couldn't take care of yourself."

Steve nodded, "Yeah. My dad was telling me though that she didn't give him a chance."

Darry's eyebrows furrowed, "A chance to what?"

"When he got a better position at his job, better hours and everything. He was ready to fix things with himself and me and our home, but he didn't get the chance to do that, because your mom kept insisting on having me over here and everything," Steve explained.

"Steve...that's..." Darry shook his head, "That's not what happened at all."

"Darry, he seemed so upset talking about it. All the details and his feelings...I couldn't have possibly noticed it with how young I was. I always wanted him to just care about me, and he told me he always wanted to," Steve looked down, "He always cared about me, but something was keeping him from having the relationship with me that he wanted...that I wanted so bad."

Darry looked down at the table. He was feeling frustrated hearing all Terrence had spilled to Steve. Darry knew it was all lies. Darry knew it was all bullshit. Terrence said what Steve wanted to hear, and now Darry had to fix it. He had to just speak his thoughts out loud to Steve whether it hurt his feelings or not. "I think your dad's just trying to brainwash you Steve. He's using what you desire against you. He doesn't care, he never did."

"But Darry, all I ever wanted was for me and my dad to get along. We've always had such a rough relationship..."

"And look what he's doing now," Darry interrupted with a firm voice.

Steve sighed, "But maybe me and my dad would be different if I wasn't over here all the time. If your mom didn't try to keep me away so much."

"There was very good reasons to keep you here, Steve, and you should know that. He wasn't going to change. He didn't try to change."

"But how do we know that? If your mom had let him keep me home more, maybe he would've changed just fine. Maybe he wouldn't have fallen into the bottle every night, because I wasn't home or because I was only close to your parents."

"Steve, it wasn't that simple. It's never that simple when someone's an alcoholic. And besides, it wasn't just the alcohol that made my parents want to intervene," Darry said, thinking it was crazy he had to convince Steve any of this. Steve just nodded. He didn't know what else to say. "Look Steve, I don't think your dad is saying any of this because he actually believes it or because he actually wants a relationship with you. He's trying to turn you against us, can't you see that?"

"How do I know that?" Steve looked at Darry.

Darry just shook his head, "Come on Steve, you're smarter than that."

"I actually feel stupid for even talking to you anyway. It's against your parents, so whether it's true or not, I shouldn't expect you to go against your parents, right?" Steve asked.

"Steve, if my mom really did have bad intentions, of course I'd be heartbroken. But you know her just about as well as we all do, and you know she would never do that."

Steve stood up from the table, "I don't know Darry, everything he was telling me just makes sense though." Steve took a breath and turned away from Darry. "I gotta go."

"Steve, please!" Darry called as Steve walked towards the front door.

Soda had been waiting at the top of the stairs. As soon as he heard Darry, he raced down and beat Steve to the door. Steve was hurting anyway, so it wasn't like he was moving very fast. "Steve," Soda said blocking the door, "Please stop. Whatever is going on just talk to me. I can't let you go back home. Just please talk to me."

Steve looked at Soda. His eyes were full of desperation. As much as Steve was frustrated at the whole situation, he couldn't hurt Soda. Not after all he had put him through. That was making him feel guilty more than anything.

"Fine," Steve said.

"Just please sit down," Soda pleaded, "Darry, can you come outside with me for a second?" Soda's voice shook as he spoke. His heart was racing as he stepped outside with Darry. He began pacing the front porch.

"Soda, calm down," Darry said.

"I'm sorry Darry, I'm sorry. I panicked when I thought he was leaving," Soda began speaking quickly, "I can't let him leave. I just can't. I'm scared for him. Darry, we have..."

"Soda, Soda shhh," Darry placed his hands on Soda's shoulders to stop his pacing, "Take a deep breath." Soda drew in a long breath and slowly let it out. "Steve is here still. He's okay. He's staying here, okay? He is...very confused, but I think he knows he needs our help."

Soda nodded as he took another deep breath. He sat himself down on the porch swing and hung his head down in defeat. "Darry, tell me what happened to him."

"Are you sure you want to know right now?" Darry asked.

"Yes, please," Soda looked up at his older brother, "I want to know. I'm okay, I promise."

Darry took a seat next to Soda. "Well, he got belted in the back."

"Belted?" Soda asked, hoping it was slang for something else.

"Yes," Darry continued, "Terrence whipped Steve's back with a belt."

"Oh..." Soda muttered, closing his eyes tight.

"And then when Steve fought back, Terrence choked him," Darry heard his voice choke at the word. He looked at Soda and watched his face lose color. Suddenly, Soda got up and leaned over the porch railing and began vomiting into the yard. Darry stood up and began rubbing Soda's back. "Shhh, it's okay Soda. He's safe here now. He'll be okay. I promise I will do everything I can to keep him here. Okay?"

When Soda calmed himself down, he nodded, "Okay Darry."

"Let's go get some rest now, okay?"

"Okay." The boys walked back inside. Soda wanted to sit with Steve for a little bit, but Steve had already fallen asleep on the couch.

"Poor kid," Darry commented, "He's had a very long day." He began shaking Steve lightly. Steve groaned in response.

"Steve," Darry continued to shake, "I'll take the couch. You can have my bed, alright?"

Steve groaned again. Darry chuckled, "Come on, I'll help you."

Darry practically carried Steve upstairs and helped him get comfortable in his bed. Leaving the room, he quietly closed the door. Soda stood in the hallway waiting.

"Well," Darry began, "He should definitely sleep in a bed for his back, but this way I can also hear him if he sneaks downstairs."

Soda nodded. He wrapped his arms around his older brother. "Thanks again Darry."

Darry held Soda tight, "We'll take care of him now." After a long embrace, Darry let go and kissed Soda on the forehead. "Now let's get some sleep. We all need it."


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, Darry was making breakfast while Ponyboy was in the living room watching TV. He didn't exactly sleep the best on the couch, but he at least felt at ease about knowing Steve not being able to just sneak out. Steve was so exhausted though, Darry didn't think he actually had to worry about that. Soda and Steve were still fast asleep upstairs. Pony was slightly confused as to what was going on lately. He knew something had been happening between Steve and his dad, but Pony wasn't sure what exactly. He thought he had an idea just based off of the experiences with Johnny and his home, but everyone seemed to be treating it differently. Even if he asked, Ponyboy knew Darry would tell him he's too young, but he wanted to know.

The smell of breakfast was becoming stronger, so Ponyboy made his way into the kitchen and sat at the table. He knew if he wanted to try to talk to Darry, he'd have to do it in private.

"Hungry?" Darry asked.

"Yeah, probably smart for me to get some before the horses come eat," Pony smirked.

Darry chuckled, "Better be quick too. As soon as they smell the pancakes, they'll be down here."

Darry put a pile of pancakes on the table. He took a seat as him and Ponyboy served themselves.

"Darry?" Pony asked as he watched his older brother pour syrup on his pancakes.

"What?" Darry asked.

"I know you're going to say I'm too young and don't worry about it, but I saw Steve last night just like everyone else. I've heard the comments and Soda is freaking out," Pony explained, "What's going on with Steve?"

Darry sighed, "I knew you'd ask soon. There's just some problems at home. Something is going on with Mr. Randle."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he's having some problems with himself, and he's taking it out on Steve. Steve's kind of getting the brunt of Mr. Randle's anger or whatever he's dealing with. He's abusing him and I think he may be trying to brainwash him," Darry explained.

"Brainwash? How?" Pony asked. That was a new term to Pony. He had read about it in books and seen it in movies, but in an abusive way was a new thing for Pony to put together. He just couldn't picture Steve being so vulnerable to fall for anyone trying to pull bullshit on him, even if it was his dad.

"I don't really know," Darry said, "I haven't really figured that out."

"So why doesn't Steve just leave? Steve would never just sit around and deal with someone hurting him. That's not Steve at all."

"It's just not that simple, buddy," Darry answered, "But, after yesterday I think it will be a while until Steve goes home again. At least I hope so." Pony went silent for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Pony looked down at the piece of pancake at the end of his fork, "It just doesn't seem like Steve to let this happen."

"I don't completely understand it either, but we have to help him."

Pony's mouth went back and forth from open to shut, unsure how to ask, "What...um, what will happen if he goes...if he does go back home?"

Darry tapped his fork against his plate, "I don't know, Ponyboy. I don't really know, but I will do what I can to not find out."

When Sodapop went down for breakfast, Darry went upstairs to check on Steve. Entering his bedroom, he found Steve awake. He was laying still while looking towards the window.

"Morning," Darry said approaching the side of the bed.

"Hi," Steve quietly responded.

"Want to come down for breakfast?" Darry asked, "Soda is probably inhaling the rest."

"That's okay," Steve answered, "I'm not that hungry." Steve wouldn't look at Darry as he spoke.

"Well come down anyway. I'll help you," Darry said, "I'm sure you're going to be very sore today."

Steve took a deep breath, "That's why I haven't tried moving."

"I'll help you. Come on," Darry leaned over. He took the blankets off Steve and slid his arm under Steve. Slowly, Steve began to sit up. He hissed and his breathing picked up. The pain erupted in his back and neck. It was worse than when the whipping actually happened. Steve's back felt so tight, he wasn't sure if he could actually bend. "Let's switch out the bandages first," Darry said when Steve got into a sitting up position, "Nice and slow."

Darry hated hearing Steve wince as he got to his feet. No one in the gang had ever been this badly injured. Anyone could normally walk off any pain, but this was a first where someone literally needed aid to move around. They took slow steps out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. Steve quietly cursed the whole way. He took quick breaths, but it didn't help. The pain continued to shoot through his back with each step he took. A dull ache stung in his neck.

"Oh Darry," Steve slightly cried as he held himself against the bathroom sink, "I can't even walk Darry." Steve was feeling himself begin to lose it. He wanted to take control of things so bad, but he couldn't.

Darry gave Steve a minute to compose himself. He continued to take hard breaths as he tried to keep himself calm, but the panic was slowly beginning to rise. "You'll be okay, Steve. You hear me? You will be okay." Steve nodded as Darry continued, "When you're ready, just bend over a little."

Steve froze at those words. _Bend over. _He couldn't get himself to do it as he heard his father telling him to bend over the bed again. He didn't see Darry's reflection in the mirror anymore. There was his father, pointing to the bed.

Darry could see Steve go pale as he blankly stared, "Steve? Are you okay?"

Steve shook his head, "I'm sorry Darry, I just..." Steve couldn't help himself as he began to aggressively cry. He felt his hands shake as they almost let go of the sink.

"Steve, it's okay," Darry said keeping his hands on Steve to keep him supported.

Steve took one hand to wipe at his eyes, "I'm sorry Darry. I don't know..." _Bend over. _"I can't stop hearing..." _Bend over._

"Can't stop hearing what?" Darry interrupted Steve's out-of-control thoughts.

"Him," Steve said harshly to keep his brain silent, "When he told me that same thing. When he told me to...to...when he did this to me, he told me to bend-bend over the-the bed."

Darry sighed, "I'm sorry Steve. I didn't mean to."

"It's not your fault," Steve took a quivering breath, "Can you just do it without me doing that?"

"Sure," Darry said, "Just calm yourself down, get yourself supported, and I'll get this done."

After a minute of Steve taking deep breaths, Darry began tearing off the bandages. He did it quick even as Steve gasped at each one. Darry just wanted to get it done and get Steve out of there.

"They did bleed a bit," Darry commented, "But let's put some ointment on and more bandages. You should just take it easy. Very easy."

"No problem," Steve commented pounding his fist against the sink.

The two made their way downstairs after Steve got fixed up. He limped while holding onto Darry for support. Darry let Steve sink onto the couch. "Hey Soda, bring Steve some pancakes."

"Okay," Soda poked his head into the living room, "With lots of peanut butter?"

"You know me," Steve smiled.

As Soda brought Steve his breakfast, Pony and Darry left for the store. Darry wanted to stock up on groceries and now get ahead on first aid supplies. Soda sat in the armchair as Steve laid back and waited for the pain to numb. He pretended to be watching TV, but kept glancing at his best friend. His stomach kept turning at the thought of what Steve's back looked like. He was thankful Darry dealt with looking at Steve's injuries and handling them. His heart hurt imagining how much pain Steve was in.

"How are you doing?" Soda finally asked, "I mean, how are you really doing?"

Steve slowly sat himself up as he cut into his pancakes. "Really doing?" Steve repeated, "I'm hurting...a lot."

Soda sighed, "I'm sorry Steve."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I should have fought you on staying home. I should have made you leave. This would have never happened."

"Yes it would have," Steve said, "Eventually it would have."

"What are you going to do?" Soda asked, slightly afraid of how Steve would answer.

"I have no idea." Steve stayed silent for a moment. He stirred at his pancakes while deep in thought. Yesterday was replaying in his head, although it felt like forever ago. "Soda?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"I'm...I can't stop thinking about yesterday. I had dreams about it, well more like nightmares," Steve explained, "I'm scared Soda. I hate to admit it, but I'm really scared."

"What are you scared of?" Soda asked.

"My father," Steve said, "I'm terrified he'll show up. I'm scared he'll come here."

"Even if he does we won't let him in. If he knows you came here, he knows that we know what happened. He can't be stupid enough to try to fight Darry on you going back." Soda noticed Steve's lip quiver. He hurried over to the couch. Taking Steve's plate, he placed it on the coffee table, and placed an arm around Steve's shoulders. Feeling ashamed, Steve leaned forward and placed his face into his hands. He just wanted to hide. His shoulders started to shake as he began to cry. "Steve, really. It's going to be okay." Steve took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. Soda sat up straight as he looked at his best friend. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Steve like this. "You...you really are scared, aren't you?"

"I-I've never felt this scared before," Steve said through his cries.

"Steve, it is okay. You are safe here," Soda reassured his best friend, "You know you're safe here, don't you?"

Steve sat himself up and looked at Soda with tear-stained cheeks, "I know, Soda. I-I know you guys will protect me. I just feel so helpless. I couldn't even run if I wanted to. That part is hitting me so bad. I can't do shit. I can't simply run!"

"You won't need to," Soda pulled Steve into a gentle hug, "Everything will be okay. You just focus on getting better, okay?"

Steve nodded against Soda's shoulder, "Thanks Soda."

Throughout the day, Soda and Darry watched as Steve would get up from the couch to limp over to the window. They never said anything, but they knew he was looking to see if Terrence was driving over. He would even risk the longer walk to the backyard to have a cigarette. Soda and Darry wanted to stop him, but they weren't sure how.

"Darry," Soda began while they were upstairs in Darry's room, "He's scaring himself bad. He can't be helping his back by getting up all the time."

Darry sighed as he folded some laundry, "I know Soda, I know. I wish he would just relax too."

"Darry, he broke down to me while you were at the store. He's so scared Terrence is going to come here and just take him away."

"We are not letting that happen," Darry said with a stern voice, "I don't care anymore, it's not happening."

"I know we aren't," Soda crossed his arms, "Darry, do you think Terrence will actually come here and try to take Steve back home? I mean, I would have expected him to come already."

Darry shook his head, "I don't know little buddy. He hasn't come yet today, but I wouldn't underestimate him either."

"Then how do we end this? How do we make this stop?" Soda asked desperately.

"Soda, I do wish I had that answer, but I just don't. At the moment, I just hope Terrence gives up. But like I said, I'm not going to underestimate him."

"What do we do for now then?" Soda asked with frustration.

"Help Steve get better. Help him feel safe," Darry answered.

Soda nodded. He didn't like such a vague plan that didn't show much of an ending, but he knew Darry couldn't do anything else right now. Soda went back downstairs and found Steve looking out the window, again. He had his hand against his back.

"Steve, please just sit down," Soda walked over to the window. He attempted to get in Steve's view and pointed towards the couch. Steve turned and Soda noticed his limp had gotten worse. "Steve, you're putting too much work on your back. You don't need to look out the window all the time. Hell, I'll come over and look all the time if it will keep you on the damn couch."

"I can't help it," Steve took a deep breath and held it before lowering himself on the couch.

"Steve, it's okay. We're not going to let anything happen to you. Maybe you need to see a doctor though," Soda suggested.

"Nothing is broken. They can't do anything," Steve argued.

"But maybe they can give you something for the pain?"

"I'll think about it," Steve groaned.

Soda rolled his eyes, "That's all you ever do is think about things."

Steve looked up at Soda, "If you want me to rest, then don't make me get up to go to the doctor."

"Well if it gets worse, we should go."

Steve began tapping the armrest, "Yeah, maybe."

Soda took a seat at the other end of the couch, "I know you're worried about leaving, but nothing will happen."

"He hasn't come here yet, Soda," Steve said, "Don't you think that means something is off?"

Soda shrugged, "Maybe. But Darry has noticed it too, so don't think Darry doesn't have his guard up with that."

Steve leaned back, settling himself into the couch. He just couldn't get himself to relax. He was trying to convince himself that his father was doing this on purpose. It was part of the process to drive Steve crazy. He was staying away on purpose to scare Steve. Steve worried he was going to get scared so bad he would just go back home and endure whatever he'd have to endure. Something was going to happen. Eventually, something was going to happen. And it wouldn't stop.

* * *

That night, Darry helped Steve back upstairs. He had re-made Soda's old bed and let Steve sleep there.

"Sorry it's not as welcoming," Darry commented of the empty bedroom, "Soda's moved a lot of his things into Ponyboy's room."

"It's fine," Steve said slowly laying himself flat.

"Soda told me he thinks you should see a doctor," Darry mentioned.

"Yeah, I know," Steve groaned.

"It's not a bad idea. At least to make sure nothing is getting infected."

"Does it look like it's getting infected?" Steve asked.

Darry shrugged, "It looks nasty, but it doesn't look like it's getting worse. You are obviously still in a lot of pain though. We can see how you do the next couple of days."

"Yeah," Steve sunk his head into the pillow.

"Are you doing okay?" Darry asked sitting on the bed.

Steve shrugged, "I don't know."

"Try to get some sleep, alright? Just call out for me or Soda if you need anything," Darry patted Steve's leg.

"Okay," Steve said turning away.


	22. Chapter 22

"Morning," Soda greeted his best friend as he walked into his old bedroom, "Man, I don't come in here much anymore. It's weird."

Steve chuckled, "I bet it is."

"It's empty," Soda commented looking at the walls that used to hold posters. There was a dresser that used to hold magazines, dirty clothes, and his shoes. The closet had a few leftover hangers, random boxes, and a few items of his parents that were stored away.

"Well you did move everything you owned, even though you were only going 3 steps away," Steve added, "You probably could have kept a lot of things in here."

Soda laughed, "I guess I wasn't thinking too straight that day. I felt like I was literally moving out."

"The good news is the bed is pretty comfy since it's not used much anymore," Steve grinned, "I may just use your bed from now on over the couch."

Soda rolled his eyes, "Uh, I hate to tell you this, but you could have always done that!"

Steve shrugged, "I don't know. It could have felt weird since it was an empty room."

"I'll put some of my things back in here so you're comforted," Soda laughed.

"Deal," Steve grinned, "So what's up?"

"Darry had to go into work, so he told me to get you up and to, um...pu-put some stuff on your back," Soda said scratching at the back of his neck.

"Okay?" Steve replied confused by Soda's sudden shakiness.

"Well, I'll just go get it out of the bathroom so you don't have to walk too much," Soda said walking out of the room. Steve slowly sat himself up. His back felt really tensed up that morning. It kept him from wanting to attempt any stretching. He rolled himself back on the bed onto his stomach. He stared at the wall facing away from the door. Soda took a deep breath to settle his nerves before reentering the room. "How's it feeling?"

"Really, really tight," Steve sighed. He waited for Soda to respond, but he stayed quiet. Steve slightly turned his head to look up at Soda. He was standing still, seeming unsure what to do next. "What's up?"

Soda shook his head as he sat on the bed, "Nothing." Steve noticed his shaky hands as he looked through the first aid kit.

"You don't want to look, do you?" Steve asked.

Soda gulped and stopped rummaging through the kit, "I can't."

"We can wait until Darry gets home if you want."

"No, no," Soda quickly said, "You need this, and Darry will be gone most of the day. I'll do it."

"If you're sure."

Soda nervously chuckled, "I'm not." As Soda prepared himself, he began slowly removing the bandages from Steve's back. He felt sick to his stomach as he revealed more and more of Steve's back. It was red, it was purple, it had dry blood scattered around, it was scabbing, it was leaking pus, and it was bruised. Soda began to feel a deep pain in his own back as he imagined what Steve had gone through. No wonder Steve couldn't walk straight. "Oh Steve," Soda whispered.

"Just hurry up Soda and you can be done," Steve said, not wanting to even imagine how his back looked. He didn't want to hear what Soda had to say about it. Steve began feeling really bad that he was putting his best friend through this.

Soda took the ointment and began rubbing all over Steve's back. He bit his lip as Steve winced and cursed under his breath. "Steve?" Soda asked as he began putting new bandages on.

"Yeah?" Steve grunted as the pain slowly began to subside.

"I think you should see a doctor. These do look pretty bad," Soda commented.

"I'll have Darry look later. Maybe I'll try washing them in a shower," Steve suggested.

Soda mumbled as he closed the first aid, "That's going to hurt."

"Yeah, yeah, now help me up so I can go to the bathroom." Soda helped Steve sit up and to his feet. He helped him walk down the hall to the bathroom. Standing at the doorway, Soda watched Steve stand above the toilet and place a hand on the wall to steady himself. He glanced over at Soda, "Are you going to watch?"

Soda looked down to the floor, "I just wasn't sure if you needed help."

"I can stand for a minute to pee."

"Okay," Soda grabbed the door to close it, "I'll just wait out here."

As Steve limped out of the bathroom, he looked at his best friend, "Soda, I think I just want to go back to bed. That already took a toll on me."

"Oh okay," Soda said kind of surprised, but also happy Steve might not be spending the whole day walking to the window to look for Terrence to show up. Steve was looking pale though, so Soda got him back to the bed. He looked down at his best friend with concern. He could tell Steve wasn't feeling the greatest. "Okay, well Darry had me drive him to work so I could do some shopping, so I'll run to the store while you sleep. Pony will be here."

"Okay. Tell him not to worry about me, I just want to sleep."

"Alright buddy, I won't be too long."

* * *

Soda went up and down the aisles while going through Darry's list. He threw in a little extra chocolate syrup, chips, and other treats. It usually happened that way when Darry sent Soda shopping. Darry use to get annoyed, but he just expected it now. Soda called it "shopping correctly, because they didn't have parents to tell them otherwise."

As Soda got to the end of an aisle, he froze. He looked towards the checkout line and saw Terrence standing there. Soda debated on walking another direction, or even ditching the cart and just leaving the store. He felt mixed emotions. As angry as he was at Terrence, he couldn't find himself to just walk over and start something. In fact, Soda was too scared to do that. Terrence was willing to beat Steve to the point of being unable to walk. What could he do to Soda? Figuring Terrence was getting ready to leave the store, Soda turned and walked back down the same aisle. Anxiety began creeping up his spine. He felt as though Terrence saw him as he was turning away. He made it to the end and began turning the cart to go down another aisle when a figure walked in front of him. Soda jumped as he grasped the cart handle.

"Oh, excuse me," a woman said.

Soda let out a breath, not realizing how worried he had been at the thought of Terrence being near. His heart was racing, fast. "S-sorry, ma'am," Soda let out.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Soda smiled, "Sorry." He pushed his cart along and finished his shopping. When he returned to the checkout, Terrence was nowhere to be seen. Still feeling on edge, Soda got his bags and hurried out to Darry's truck. He grabbed for the driver's door when a hand slammed against it.

"Hello Sodapop," Terrence snarled. Soda found himself with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't speak. He wasn't sure if he was even breathing. "I'm assuming Steve found his way over to your place?"

Soda swallowed hard, unsure what to say. He wished Darry was with him to handle this. "No," Soda said trying to sound firm, "He told me not to contact him for the weekend. Did he leave?"

"Yes, he did leave. I assumed he came to you."

Soda shook his head, "Nope."

"He hasn't come to you at all, huh?" Terrence asked. Soda could smell a mixture of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. He knew Terrence probably wasn't buying his answer, but he wasn't going to admit anything and risk Steve being taken away.

"No, sir," Soda repeated, "Maybe he ran away."

"Ran away from what?"

Soda was surprised at the remark. Terrence still didn't think him or Darry knew anything about what was going on. "It just seems there's been some home trouble is all. Like what you told Darry, right?"

Terrence looked up and down at Soda, "Your brother working today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell him I'll be by later," Terrence turned and walked off. Taking that as a possible threat, Soda jumped in the truck and got home quick. As he pulled into the driveway, he took a few breaths to calm down. Terrence had asked about Darry, so maybe he really wasn't going to come until Darry was here. Either way, Soda knew he'd have to appear calm as he walked into the house. He didn't want to freak Steve out and make him camp out at the window all day again.

In the house, Soda saw Ponyboy reading a book. "Hey Pony," he greeted, "Is Steve still upstairs?"

Ponyboy nodded, "I peeked in a little bit ago. He was awake. He asked me to bring him up any magazines we had laying around."

"Alright, I'll empty these and go check on him."

After Soda emptied the groceries, he went upstairs. Steve was flipping through one of the magazines Pony had brought up to him. "Hey, man, I'm back."

"Cool," Steve replied.

"Do you want to come downstairs?" Soda asked. Steve didn't seem as pale anymore.

Steve thought for a moment, "I really want to take a shower, but I don't know how long I'd last in there."

"Want to borrow my swimming trunks?" Soda suggested, "I can help you out then."

Steve rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed at the childish idea that he would probably have to do, "I guess I have no choice."

Soda walked into his and Pony's room, grabbed his trunks, and brought them to Steve. "Do you need help putting them on?"

Steve sat himself up on the bed, "If I needed your help putting trunks on, then I wouldn't even bother wearing them in the shower."

"Good point," Soda grinned, "I'll be in the hall."

After Steve got his clothes off and the trunks on, Soda walked him to the bathroom. Steve shook Soda's hand off of him, trying his best to walk without any help. Soda knew he was annoyed with the help, and he knew Steve would try anything to look like he didn't need the help. In the bathroom, Soda did his best to get the bandages off without actually looking. Catching some glimpses though, Soda cringed at the marks and bruises. The pus did not look any better, and that made Soda really concerned.

Soda turned the shower on and Steve stepped in. Soda tried blocking out the painful, hissing sound that escaped Steve's mouth.

"Damnit," Steve said, "That hurts."

"I told you it would," Soda said as he leaned against the wall, "Let me know if you start feeling weak."

"I'm okay right now," Steve replied with heavy breaths, "Just letting the water run on my back. Just stay in here with me, please."

"Of course, buddy. I'm not going anywhere," Soda looked at the mirror at his reflection starting to disappear from the steam, "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Hey guys," Darry greeted as he walked into the house. The three boys were sitting on the couch as they greeted him back. Soda followed Darry straight into the kitchen. "I know you may have been busy with Steve, but did you find time to go to the store?" Before Soda could answer, Darry opened the pantry and saw the variety of chips now taking over the shelves, "Yes you did."

Soda laughed, "I did get everything on your list at least."

Darry shook his head, "There is a reason I am willing to risk going to a busy grocery store on a Saturday, so I can do the shopping."

Soda grinned, "But you're grateful I did it for you anyway. You're welcome."

Darry chuckled, "How was the rest of the day?"

"Well," Soda sighed, "Terrence was there."

Darry looked over at Soda, "At the store? What did he want?"

"He assumed Steve was here, but I obviously said he wasn't," Soda got closer to Darry as he lowered his voice, "He told me to tell you he's coming later."


	23. Chapter 23

"Hey kid," Steve whispered from the couch, "What are they talking about?" Steve had gotten curious as Darry and Soda's voices got lower.

Ponyboy got up from the couch and walked near the doorway to the kitchen. He stood for only a moment and caught a few words of their conversation before returning to the couch. He didn't want to tell Steve what he heard though. After his conversation with Darry about what had been going on, he knew Steve wouldn't react well.

"Well?" Steve asked with little patience. He already assumed Darry and Soda couldn't be talking about anything good, but he was desperate to know anyway.

Pony looked at Steve, "Um, you-you're dad is coming."

Steve's eyes widened. He felt that urgency to go look out the window. As he got up from the couch, he moved too fast and collapsed to the floor. Darry and Soda hurried in after hearing the thud.

"Steve!" Soda gasped as him and Darry helped him up, "What's going on?"

Steve groaned as he was helped back onto the couch. He was getting more irritated at his body. All he wanted to do was go look out the window, but his back still couldn't handle quick, sudden movements. "Is it true?"

"What?" Darry asked.

Steve felt tears form in his eyes as fear overcame the anger. He shot a look at Ponyboy and yelled, "Kid, go upstairs now!" Pony jumped, not expecting Steve to suddenly bark at him. He got up from the couch and hurried upstairs. Steve didn't want Pony to see him suddenly become weak and lose it. He knew Pony had seen a lot already, but Steve refused to let him see much more. The second Ponyboy was out of sight, tears fell down Steve's face. "Is my dad really coming?"

Soda cursed under his breath. He didn't need his best friend panicking over this.

Darry sighed, "We don't know. He may have said that to Soda, but we don't really know if he will or not."

Steve swallowed back any cries, "No, you guys can't let him take me home. You just can't. I won't be able to leave! I can't go with him. Please Darry, please!"

"Steve, listen to me," Darry sat down on the couch and put an arm around Steve, "First, you need to breathe. You're practically hyperventilating and I don't want you to aggravate your back. Breathe." Steve took in a deep breath and slowly released it. He felt his chest get tight and his stomach do flips. Darry was right, he was about to go crazy and he'd feel the physical burden of that later. "Now listen, I will not let you leave this house. I will do everything I can to make that happen. You will not go home with him."

Glancing over at Soda, Darry could see the relief in his little brother's eyes at those words. Steve fell into Darry and cried. He trusted Darry, but couldn't help and still feel scared.

"How about you and Soda go upstairs and relax? Just to be safe," Darry suggested, "I will watch out for anything."

Soda nodded. He helped Steve get up and they both went upstairs. They went into Pony's room and sat on the bed. "I think I'll go get some cards," Soda said leaving the room.

As Steve felt a little more relaxed, he looked over at Ponyboy, "Hey kid, I'm sorry I snapped down there."

"It's okay," Pony shrugged as he was doodling inside a journal.

"I felt like I was going to lose it down there and I just didn't want you to see me like that," Steve admitted, "I don't like anyone seeing me like that honestly."

"Really, it's okay," Pony assured him, "I know a lot is going on." There was silence for a moment before Ponyboy spoke up again. "Are you scared?"

Steve looked up at the younger greaser, "Yeah."

"What happened?" Pony asked.

Steve looked over at the wall and shook his head, "No one's told you huh?"

"No. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to know actually, but seeing you like this...something must be really wrong and I kind of want to help."

Steve sighed, "My dad did some bad things to me, and I don't know why he's doing it."

"Is he saying things to you too? Like bad things?" Pony asked, remembering how Darry had mentioned Terrence possibly brainwashing Steve.

Steve took a minute to answer that question. He wasn't sure how much Pony had heard from his brothers or maybe just figured out on his own. He knew Pony was a smart one. "Yeah, yeah he is."

"I'm sorry. I really am."

"Thanks, Ponyboy."

Steve was able to relax while him, Soda, and Ponyboy played cards. After some time passed, they heard the rest of the gang arrive to hang out, and they went back downstairs. It was a nice night out, so the greasers passed the football around and shot some basketball. Steve sat on the porch steps, but he was feeling relaxed knowing everyone was there just having a good time together. It made his problems diminish.

At one point, Dally joined Steve on the steps. "What's up, Dal?" Steve asked taking a sip of beer.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"It's going," Steve muttered.

"Are you staying?"

"Staying here?" Dally nodded. "Yeah, I can't really go anywhere."

"Don't be stupid and go crawling back home, or I will hurt you," Dally said.

Steve chuckled, "I know you would too. Don't worry, I don't want to go back."

"Good."

The boys eventually made their way back inside and just goofed off while watching TV. Steve was glad to be part of another night with his friends. He really needed it.

Terrence never showed up.

* * *

"Steve...Steve...wake up." Steve stirred at the voice. His eyes blinked a few times to get a clearer view of the figure above him. "Steve, come on, let's go." The voice became sharp, and Steve's eyes flew open.

"No," Steve muttered, "No, how did you..."

Terrence grabbed Steve by the arms and pulled him up from the bed. "It's time to go home. You've disrupted this family long enough over your nonsense."

"No, let me go," Steve felt tears in his eyes as he pleaded to his father, "Put me down, please. Darry! Soda! Please help me!"

"They aren't here to help you," Terrence said in a strangely calm tone, "I am here to take you home now, Steve." As Terrence tightened his grip, Steve put his hands up and tried shoving him away.

Steve felt an eruption of pain in his back and let out a scream. His eyes opened and he was on the floor in the bedroom. He searched around the room for his father, but didn't seem him anywhere. Steve panicked as he tried to make sense of what was going on. He noticed the room was lighter than he had just experienced. Steve realized it was just a nightmare. It had seemed so real though that Steve had fallen out of the bed from trying to shove his father and he landed right on his back. He squirmed around as his lower back screamed.

"Steve?" Pony asked walking in the room, "Oh my God, are you okay?" Pony got to the floor and helped Steve sit up. Steve screamed at the pain. "What happened?"

"It was...just a nightmare," Steve said with heavy breaths.

"You are drenched in sweat," Pony commented.

Steve tried to slow his breathing, but his back pain wouldn't subside at all, "Where's Soda?"

"Him and Darry are at work," Pony sighed, "Should I help you get back in the bed?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah, yeah."

As Pony prepared to aid in Steve's weight, he let out a scream. Pony let go as Steve sat there holding his lower back, slightly swinging back and forth from the pain. He felt a little scared seeing Steve like that, unsure what him falling out of bed may have caused. "Wh-What should I do?"

Steve shook his head, "I...I don't know." Steve lowered himself to the floor, feeling defeated.

"I'll call Soda," Pony said. He got up and headed downstairs to the kitchen phone.

Steve stayed on the floor, still not feeling any relief from the pain. The nightmare had terrified him, so he could only imagine how hard he may have fallen to the floor. "He doesn't have to even be here to attack me," Steve said to himself, "Why did you have to do this to me?"

* * *

Soda rushed through the front door. The living room was empty, so he headed upstairs. He found Steve laying on the floor and Pony sitting next to him.

"Oh Steve," Soda got down to the floor and began looking over his best friend, "Have you gotten up at all?"

Steve shook his head, "It hurts too much." As Soda prepared to help his best friend, the three boys jumped as they heard the front door open and shut. Steve felt his heart drop and his nightmare suddenly flashed in his mind, "Oh no, it's happening."

"Hello, anyone home?" a voice called from downstairs.

Soda let out a sigh of relief, "We're up here, Two-Bit!"

The boys heard footsteps and Two-Bit appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" he asked as he saw everyone on the floor.

"Steve's hurt," Soda simply said, "Want to help me try and get him up? We have to be really careful."

"Sure, sure," Two-Bit got down to the floor.

"Okay, I know this is going to hurt, buddy, but let's just get it done," Soda commented.

"To the bed?" Two-Bit asked.

Soda nodded, "But get him on his stomach. I want to check on his back."

It was a long process of trying to be careful, and it didn't help listening to Steve whimper and yell no matter how slow they did it. On the bed, Steve rolled himself to his stomach while Two-Bit tried to support him.

"Did the pain get worse?" Soda asked.

Steve slowly nodded, "It hasn't stopped."

"What exactly happened?"

"I...I was having a nightmare...about my dad, and I guess when I shoved him in my dream I pushed myself off the bed. I landed right on my back," Steve said.

"I'm going to go downstairs," Pony spoke up, slowly leaving the room.

"Is he okay?" Two-Bit asked standing next to Soda.

"I probably scared him a little," Steve commented.

"He'll be fine," Soda said, "Let's look at what happened here."

Two-Bit watched as Soda lifted Steve's shirt. Steve didn't like hearing both the greasers gasp. That didn't mean any good news.

"Oh no..." Soda mumbled.

"Steve, you need to go to a doctor," Two-Bit said.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Steve," Soda swallowed, "Your lower back is completely bruised."

"Something must be injured awful," Two-Bit said.

"When Darry gets home, he can look at it and we can bring you to the doctor," Soda said hurrying Steve's shirt back down, "I-I'll be right back." Soda hurried out of the room.

"I better go after him," Two-Bit said, "Just hang on Steve." Two-Bit followed Soda downstairs and out to the front porch. "Soda, are you okay?"

Soda sat himself on the porch swing and buried his face in his hands. "I'm so worried about him," Soda said, "Two-Bit this has gotten bad. I thought he was safe here from his dad's abuse."

"Soda, what are you talking about? He is safe here."

"Maybe in person, yes. But if Steve has nightmares, then he's still going to be hurting and scared. I can't keep seeing him like this, Two-Bit. All I'm doing is worrying about him," Soda said.

"We all are," Two-Bit agreed, "We'll get him to a doctor and get him checked out."

"You saw his back."

"I know, I know," Two-Bit nodded, "It looked really...really bad."

"What could it be?"

Two-Bit shrugged, "I don't really know. I can't imagine anything good."

Soda shook his head, "You know whatever it is, it was his dad that caused it."

"Well yeah, we all know that."

"So are we just not going to do anything about it?"

"Soda, what are you talking about? What can we really do? This isn't some Soc. Steve is here and safe, isn't that all you wanted?"

Soda jumped to his feet, "Steve is obviously hurt, seriously hurt. And if something is seriously wrong with him...something has to be done."

"Soda, what are you..."

"Terrence doesn't deserve to get away with this."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Darry and Soda found themselves at the doctor with Steve while Two-Bit stayed at the house with Ponyboy. They were waiting in one of the exam rooms when Darry excused himself to the bathroom. Soda felt on edge to find out what was going on with Steve's injuries. Two-Bit tried calming him down before Darry got home, but it didn't work much. Soda was getting fed up with all of this. Sure, at first Soda just wanted Steve to stay at the house and never go home. It was different now. Steve was getting effected by a nightmare now. Soda didn't want Terrence to simply get away with all of this tormenting he was causing Steve.

"Soda," Steve said from the examining table, "I need to talk to you."

"What's going on?" Soda asked, turning his attention from his angry thoughts.

"I need to get something off my chest. Something that is bothering me."

"What about?" Soda asked confused.

"Some things my dad said," Steve looked down at his hands, "I told Darry some of it, but I feel like I should tell you."

"If you want to."

"He told me things about your parents and when I was younger."

"What about it?" Soda asked.

"That your parents were trying to keep me from him. That my dad tried getting his life together, but your parents wouldn't let him really try to be a dad to me. I told Darry about it all, and he told me that was bullshit. He told me the only reason your parents kept me from him was because he was having a drinking problem and wasn't really fixing anything. My dad said your mom was being selfish and just wanted me to be another kid of hers, so she kept me from him," Steve explained.

Soda tried his hardest not to get angry, at least not in front of Steve. He ran a hand over his face, trying to hide any frustration, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I guess I wanted you to know that I don't believe it," Steve said, "I'm sorry, because for some time I did believe it. I just wanted a relationship with my dad for years, it's all I wanted. And I guess hearing my dad tell me all of that gave me hope that he really did want that with me too. But, I think that fantasy is starting to go away. I'm realizing what is true and what isn't. I'm sorry I ever doubted your parents and what they wanted for me."

Soda sighed, "Well, I'm glad Darry talked you out of that shit."

Steve looked over at Soda, "Are you mad at me?"

Soda shook his head, "No."

"Soda, I am sorry. You deserved to know, and I wanted you to know. I wanted to be able to talk to you about it. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"_You _didn't make me mad," Soda said. Steve wasn't sure what to make of that as Soda emphasized the word 'you,' but he had to stop the conversation as Darry and the doctor returned.

* * *

"Hey Two-Bit, want to come out for a cigarette?" Soda asked. After the boys returned from the doctor and Steve got settled on the couch, Two-Bit followed Soda outside.

"What happened at the doctor?" Two-Bit asked while lighting up.

"Well, I think we'll have to take him to the hospital to get a scan done," Soda began as he took a drag off a cigarette, "The doctor said it looked rough. Parts of his back are getting infected from open wounds and shit. But his lower back looked really damaged to the doctor."

Two-Bit sighed, "Gees, did the doctor say what it could be?"

Soda swallowed hard, "A bruised kidney."

"What, um," Two-Bit began feeling uneasy, "What does that mean?"

"It really just depends if that's what it is, how bad, and if it's effecting anything else. He did give Steve something for the infection though and for the pain," Soda explained.

"So when does Steve go to the hospital?" Two-Bit asked.

Soda shrugged, "The doctor told us there were some symptoms we could look for to determine if it's a bruised kidney and how serious. So, we might just see what happens. I don't know."

Two-Bit threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, "So, how are you doing? You kind of worried me from talking earlier."

"Can you blame me for being so mad?" Soda threw his arms in the air.

"No, I'm not saying that," Two-Bit said, "I'm just saying you were kind of getting me worried about things."

Soda rolled his eyes, "Do you want to know what Terrence told Steve?"

"What do you mean? Told Steve when?"

"While he was beating him up," Soda replied with a scoff, "He was telling Steve that my parents were keeping Steve from him."

"Keeping him from Terrence? What do you mean by that?"

"He tried turning Steve against us. He told Steve my parents weren't trying to help him or Steve, my mom just wanted to keep Steve for herself as part of the family. That's such shit! He was an alcoholic, Two-Bit! He was a bad parent. He would've just left Steve by himself if my mom wasn't there! Steve wouldn't be taken care of, damnit! That asshole didn't care about Steve, he never did!"

"Soda, calm down," Two-Bit walked over to Soda and placed a hand on his back, "Relax. I know you're super mad about all of this. We all are. None of us want to see him going through this or being told some bull like that."

"I can't believe him," Soda said slamming his hands against the porch railing.

"Just listen to me, okay? We can't change that. We cannot do anything about what Terrence said or what he even thinks. Right now, all we can do is be there for Steve." When Soda stayed silent and just stared forward, Two-Bit continued, "I bet you anything Steve doesn't want to see you like this. He doesn't want you to risk anything by confronting Terrence. He just wants you to be here and helping him."

Soda looked over at Two-Bit. He turned and walked down the porch. "I need to go clear my head."


	24. Chapter 24

Soda walked all the way to Steve's house. He hadn't noticed he made it there until it was staring him in the face. Terrence's truck was in the driveway next to Steve's car. Soda just stood at the end of the driveway. There was an opportunity staring him in the face. He just looked at the house for a while. The last time he came to this house was to rescue his best friend. He drove here that night and saw his best friend beaten and weak, unable to support his own weight. Soda would never be able to walk by the Randle house the same after that night. And now things have taken other turns. Soda imagined what he could do in that moment. Walking through the door, Soda could just grab Terrence and do the same things he did to Steve. He could smack Terrence around, he could slap his face into the table, and he could take a belt to his back. Or Soda could do worse things. The amount of anger Soda had boiled up in him, he could do a lot to Terrence to even the score. Soda could do a lot to make up for the pain he was causing Steve right now.

"The shit I could do to you right now," Soda said to himself. He spun around and began pacing. The idea of hurting Terrence was overwhelming him. It didn't seem as if anything else would get this urge to leave him. He had to let his rage out on Terrence. Any other time, against anyone else, Steve would gladly stand up for himself. He'd rather get his chance to get back at someone. But this time he couldn't, he had been physically and mentally scarred into cowering away instead. That's what was giving Soda that urge. Like he had to take care of it for Steve. Soda began looking around to see if anyone was around. When no one seemed to be watching him, he began putting a plan together to really see if he could get away with it.

"Fuck it," Soda said as he marched up the driveway. He felt his pace get faster as he walked up the porch steps. As his hand reached for the doorknob, he froze. Before he could continue, Steve popped into his mind. What would Steve think if Soda beat the shit out of his father? Maybe at some point, Steve could be grateful. Right now, if Soda pissed Terrence off, Steve would be living in more fear that something was going to happen to him from it. Soda's hand dropped to his side. He couldn't cause more pain or more anxiety to Steve. No matter how much Soda was ready to end this, he knew he couldn't cause that to his best friend while he was already suffering. He couldn't do this to him. Not like this.

"Damnit," Soda muttered. He walked back down the porch and kicked at a couple rocks. He made it back down to the street and turned to look at the house again. "I guess I have to trust karma at this point." He was beginning to feel the rage settle as tears formed in his eyes. Soda was beginning to feel lost in how to fix this for Steve.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Darry asked. Steve had been sitting on the back porch having a cigarette. He wasn't sure where Soda had went, but he didn't blame him for needing some time to himself. He didn't like causing Soda all this anger and worry, but he didn't know how to fix it either. In the moment, he figured all he could do was get better and not go home.

"Good," Steve replied as he exhaled the smoke, "That pill is really helping the pain actually."

"Good to hear, but you do know that's just a temporary help."

Steve sighed, knowing what Darry was getting at, "Yes, I know it won't heal everything."

"So, I really think we should take the doctor's advice and go get you scanned. We should really make sure you're okay. The doctor said if your kidney is badly bruised, it can lead to serious things. You could be bleeding inside," Darry said.

Steve nodded, "I know. I just don't want to end up having to stay there."

"I think it's safer to assume that's a good possibility," Darry said, "But it's all for good. You'll feel back to normal."

Steve looked up at Darry, "You're not going to let me say no."

Darry grinned, "Not really."

"Fine," Steve tossed his cigarette to the ground.

"Do you want to wait for Soda to come back?"

Steve shook his head as he stood up, "I think he's been through enough. Let's just go before he gets back."

* * *

Soda took a long walk to get back home. He didn't want to seem heated when he returned to Steve, so he took all the time he needed to cool off. During the walk, his emotions would go back and forth between wanting to go back to take care of Terrence and knowing that wasn't the right way. He didn't want Terrence to just get away with it though.

When Soda finally came to terms that he wasn't going to get it figured out at that moment, he made it back home. He noticed Darry's truck was gone, but he didn't feel upset about it. If Steve had gone to get further help, Soda could only be grateful for it.

A couple hours passed and a card game had begun in the kitchen. Soda, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny were all playing. They were betting cigarettes, cookies, chips, and eventually slices of cake as Two-Bit and Soda got more competitive.

"No, no, no," Two-Bit protested as Soda slid two slices of cake his way, "You cheated that one!"

"Not my fault you can't win," Soda grinned as he had four slices of cake in front of him at that point.

"Fine, I'm eating the rest of the cake," Two-Bit got up from his chair and grabbed the rest of the cake sitting on the counter.

"Sore loser!" Soda called out, "If you eat the rest, you have to bake more."

"I don't know who I'd rather make a cake between you two," Dally commented.

"I'm hurt," Two-Bit whined, "My mommy has showed me a thing or two in the kitchen."

Soda smirked, "How to make a mess." At that moment, the front door opened. "They're home," Soda said as he got up and left the kitchen. Only Darry was at the door.

"What...where's Steve?" Soda asked, feeling the fun he was just having subside.

"It's okay, Soda," Darry responded, "They are going to keep an eye on him tonight. They are giving him fluids for now."

Soda crossed his arms, "So it's pretty bad huh?"

"It didn't look like there was any internal bleeding, but he does need to take it easy. They want to pump him with fluids to get a good urine sample," Darry explained, "You can go see him tomorrow, okay?"

Soda sighed, "I should have gone with him. He had to deal with that scan and get hooked up to fluids alone. The last time he saw me I was mad and just left. That's not fair to him."

"Soda, he wasn't alone. I was there. And trust me, he is okay. No one likes staying at the hospital, but he's going to feel better." As Soda continued to look down, Darry kept going, "Besides, I'd still be at the hospital if you had come with. It'd taken forever to separate you two."

Soda couldn't keep the smile off his face with that comment, "Yeah, you'd be stuck there for the night."

"I wouldn't expect any different from either of you. We'll go see him tomorrow, and he might be able to leave."

"Thanks Darry."

The brothers walked back into the kitchen to find chocolate cake spread around the table.

"You lost your cake," Pony said as he took bites of a slice.

"That's what you get you cheating ass," Two-Bit smirked.

Later that night, Soda and Pony were laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep.

"Soda? Are you worried about Steve?" Pony asked.

"Yeah. I'm trying not to, because I know the doctors will only make it better. But I'm worried we could go visit tomorrow and we hear something really bad is going on with him."

Pony was silent for a moment before asking, "Did he really hurt himself when he fell out of the bed?"

"No. I mean, yeah kind of. But he wouldn't have hurt himself like that if his dad didn't do what he did first," Soda explained. He pulled the covers closer to himself.

Ponyboy put a hand on Soda's shoulder, "I'm here if you need anything, Soda."

Soda felt his little brother snuggle closer to him. "Thanks Ponyboy," Soda slightly smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Steve woke up very early the next morning. It wasn't easy getting a restful sleep in the hospital, especially as nurses would go in every couple hours to check vitals. He looked out the window and saw the sun starting to come over the horizon. He hoped that meant he would get to leave soon.

The room door opened and the nurse walked in. "Oh good, you're awake," she said, "Well, your urine sample came back. The good news is there wasn't any blood, but there is a little infection. The best thing you'll be able to do is drink lots of water and get a lot of rest. Don't overdo any physical activity. You can keep taking the pills you got for pain, and I'll give you another prescription for the infection."

"Sounds good," Steve said, "So I can leave today?"

"Yes, in fact your ride is already here. I'll be back to get you ready," the nurse said leaving the room.

"Gees Soda, you didn't have to rush here this early," Steve said to himself. The nurse returned and began taking the IV's out of his arm. "Thanks," Steve said as he sat up to get changed.

"I'll send him in," the nurse said leaving the room.

"Thank God. I am ready to get out of here," Steve finished pulling his jeans up and getting them done. The door reopened and Steve's mouth dropped open.

"Steve, let's go home," Terrence said.

Steve felt stuck. He was frozen in his spot. He was alone with his father. What was he suppose to do right now? Terrence walked closer to Steve, which made him jump. "Shhh, you need to take it easy remember?" Terrence said placing a hand on Steve's shoulder, "Let's get home. We need to get you better and fix things up."

There it was. The tone that was saying he was the loving dad taking his son home to heal. The tone that was going to fool anyone. Even if Steve said anything to anyone, his father's tone would tell them to ignore. Steve knew the truth behind the tone. His mouth was stuck shut and his voice felt as if it had disappeared. He couldn't argue. With each step he took, his heart got faster and his back got more cramped up. He could already feel the pain he may have to endure once he got back home.

"Now, we need to take care of some serious business at home," Terrence began saying, "Your mom's anniversary is in 2 days." Steve felt himself slowly nod. He began praying to himself that Darry and Soda would show up. He wanted them to walk up to the hospital and see what was happening and stop it. He wanted someone to save him.

"We are going to visit her grave that day and spend some time together," Terrence said in a calm tone, "And then we are going to be with her again."

Steve felt his feet stop. "Wh-What?" he managed to ask.

"Steve, we don't have to go through this anymore," Terrence said in a quiet voice, "I won't have to feel the pain of her being gone and you won't have to feel anymore pain. We are going to end this pain and go be with her again, forever." He was being horrifyingly calm.

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was his father saying what he thought he was saying? How could they be with her again without being...?

Steve wasn't sure how it happened, but before his father could push the door open to leave, he swung his elbow into his father's side. Terrence yelled and dropped to his knees from surprise. Steve took off down the nearest hallway he could find.


	25. Chapter 25

Steve hurried as he pushed through the nearest door. Through it was a long hallway and he immediately took off. Steve had no idea where it was going to lead to, but he didn't care. He just had to lose his father. He still couldn't run at his fastest, but he was pushing himself to keep going. Thinking about his father was pushing the adrenaline through his body. Was there a possibility he was overthinking what Terrence had just told him?

_"And then we are going to be with her again."_

Steve just knew he wasn't willing to find out. At that moment, he would do anything to get away from Terrence. How did Terrence know he was in the hospital anyway? How long had he been secretly watching him? Steve would have to figure that out later. Right now, he just had to defend himself. Even though he should have done it a long time ago, it was better late than never, for him to fight back.

* * *

"Come on Darry, let's go see how he's doing," Soda begged. He was becoming impatient to go check on his best friend, and hopefully get to bring him back to the house. The anger in Soda had subsided through the night and he only became more anxious. He barely slept waiting for the next morning.

Ponyboy yawned from the couch, "We should hurry Darry. Soda would not stop tossing around the bed last night. I could use a nap later."

"You can stay home and sleep if you want," Darry offered.

"No, I want to come," Pony said, "I want to see if Steve's okay."

"See Darry? Everyone wants to go, so let's go!" Soda quickly slipped his shoes on, "What are you even doing? Stop cleaning in here, Steve doesn't care if the family room is clean."

"Soda, relax," Darry chuckled, "You know he might not be able to come back home yet right? We don't know if they found anything, and we don't know how he's feeling. We could be rushing there for nothing."

Soda snapped his fingers, "Not for nothing." Darry had confusion on his face as Soda rushed into the kitchen.

"I just cleaned in there, Soda!" Darry called out. He rolled his eyes as he heard his little brother begin to rustle around in there.

"You know he's making a mess in there," Pony commented.

Darry shook his head, "Unfortunately."

Soda ran back into the living room and held up a deck of cards, "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Steve kept wandering the hallway. He entered any doors he could find that continued down more hallways. He couldn't find anyone, but he was okay with that. He was aware that he may be going in circles, but wasn't worried about that in the moment. He just needed to go anywhere he could to make it more difficult for Terrence to track him. The fear continued to rise in him as he wasn't sure where his father exactly was. The thought came to him that Terrence could be asking the staff or security for help in finding him, and then what could Steve do? Would they make him go home with him?

As Steve began to feel his back ache, he began slowing down his speed, hoping he may have lost his father.

His next move was to wait things out until Darry and Soda got there.

* * *

"Soda, would you stop fidgeting, please?" Darry asked with annoyance in his tone. He was ready to tie Soda down into his seat.

"Sorry, Darry," Soda said placing his hands on his knees to keep them still.

"You are way too excited to go to the hospital," Ponyboy laughed from the backseat, "No one should be this excited to go to the hospital."

"I don't want to keep him waiting. I guess I do feel a little bad I hadn't come here with him yesterday," Soda admitted.

"You know he didn't care," Pony said.

"He was more concerned of you blowing off steam," Darry added in.

"Which you needed," Pony said.

"I know guys," Soda sighed, "When I think about him having to get checked out, poked with needles or IV's, getting the scan done, and then being told he has to stay...I just wish I could have been there with him through it all. I'm glad you were there Darry, at least he had someone."

"He did good," Darry nodded, "He handled it all just fine."

"Wouldn't have expected any different. He's plenty tough," Ponyboy said.

Soda smiled, "He is. He can get through anything, even what Terrence has done to him."

* * *

Steve walked through another door and found a flight of stairs and an exit door. He knew this was the time to take advantage. He thought enough time had passed that Terrence may have given up, at least for now. Steve thought he could try to leave. Feeling short of breath, he leaned and put pressure against the door to slowly open it. Peeking outside, he was at the side of the hospital. Slowly walking out, Steve looked from left to right, but didn't see anyone. He quietly closed the door, not wanting to draw any attention. A chill went up Steve's neck knowing once the door was closed, it was probably locked from the outside. Upon hearing the handle click shut, he knew it was time to try and leave.

* * *

"Alright, just about there," Darry said as he stopped at a red light, "You ready?"

"I am," Soda replied, "But I am getting kind of nervous."

"Now he calms down," Pony smirked.

"Why are you getting nervous?" Darry asked.

"To hear what Steve's results are. What if his kidneys are really bad? What if there was more wrong than we thought?"

"Well then it's good he went here," Darry said, "Because now we'll find out and we'll get it fixed."

"I'm also nervous to hear anything wrong, because I don't want to get mad again."

"Is that what happened yesterday?" Darry asked.

Soda nodded, "I got so mad from what the doctor said. I was mad at Terrence for all he had done to Steve, but I wouldn't have guessed anything happened to his kidneys. It seems so bad, and knowing Terrence caused that to him made me so mad. Knowing Terrence caused him to have a nightmare that made him so scared he fell out of bed...I just can't deal with more bad news we weren't expecting."

"It's okay to feel that way, Soda," Darry assured him, "I was mad too. Trust me. I just try to push it down for Steve's sake right now." He patted Soda's leg as the traffic light turned green, and he made the turn to get to the hospital parking lot.

* * *

Steve started making his way around the hospital towards the front parking lot. He kept checking behind him. Each step he took, his mind seemed to become more in a fuzz. Like he may not be sure where he is or what was going on.

As Steve turned the corner, he heard someone yell, "Steve!"

He jumped frantically, getting ready to run again. As he looked up though, he saw Soda running towards him.

"Steve!" Soda caught up to his best friend and could see nothing but horror in his eyes, "Steve, oh my God what the hell happened?"

"Steve?" Darry said hurrying over, "Hey, are you alright? What are you doing out here?"

Steve couldn't speak. The rush of relief came over him knowing he was safe now. He became weak as he collapsed into Soda's arms and cried into his shoulder.

"Steve, talk to me," Soda begged with his own fear, "What happened?"

Darry turned towards Ponyboy, who was slowly making his way over, "Hey Pony, let's get back in the truck and get it closer to here." Steve was thankful for that, as he heard Darry walking away.

Soda pulled Steve off his shoulder and looked at him, "Steve, please tell me. What happened?"

"Ju-Just get me out of here, please," Steve looked at Soda with pleading eyes. Soda wanted to cry at the sight of his best friend, but remembering what Darry had said about pushing the emotions down for Steve's sake right now, Soda blinked his emotions away. He took some breaths to calm his nerves. Something had happened, Soda could tell that, and he was scared to find out. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Steve like this, if ever.

"Did they release you? Do they know you're gone?" Steve nodded in response. Before he could speak anymore, he keeled over and vomited onto the building. "Steve, relax buddy. You don't have to tell me anything. Let's just get home, okay? You can tell me there," Soda looked behind him as Darry's truck was parked next to the curb, "Whenever you're ready." A few more heaves passed and Steve was able to calm his stomach. Both boys stood up and walked over to Darry's truck. Soda climbed into the back with Steve.

It was silent as the truck pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Darry peeked through the rear view mirror and saw Steve leaning up against Soda. "What did the doctor say?" Darry asked.

"Um, there is a little infection they gave me a prescription for. I have to take it easy," Steve explained.

"Good deal," Darry replied. He was aware something more had happened, but knowing Steve didn't want to talk, Darry left the conversation at that.

* * *

"Here you go," Soda said handing Steve a glass of water.

"Thank you," Steve took the glass and took a long drink.

Soda sat at the end of the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"I mean, I feel a little better. The fluids they gave me helped."

"Can you take the other pills still? To help with the pain?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah. Thank God." Soda was glad to have Steve back at the house to heal up. He could tell Steve wasn't fully relaxed yet. Whatever had happened at the hospital was clearly still bothering him.

"So," Soda began, "Do you want to tell me what happened at the hospital?" Steve didn't answer right away as he looked own at the bed. "Steve, I saw the scare in your eyes. You were terrified about something. I don't think you'll be able to relax until you tell me. Unless you want to tell Darry?"

Steve swallowed, "I'll tell you. While the nurse was telling me about my results and that I could go home to get better, she told me my ride was already there. I figured it was you, it wouldn't have surprised me if you rushed there so early. But...my dad walked in..."

Soda's eyes widened, "Oh my God, Steve...I am so sorry I wasn't there. Did he try to take you home?"

Steve nodded, "We got all the way to the entrance, but he...he said something." Steve paused as the words of a calm tone still echoed in his head. "He said something that made me fight back. I hit him and just took off, I ran down a hall. I can tell I overdid the running though, because I'm hurting bad. After a while, I found a different exit to get outside and that's when I walked out to you."

Soda scooted closer to his best friend, "What did he say, Steve?"

"He said that me and him," Steve took a deep breath, "Will be with my mom again, on her anniversary."

"What?" Soda asked confused, "Like go to the cemetery?"

"I don't think so," Steve shook his head and repeated, "he said we were going to be with her again."

"What does that mean?" Soda asked, having trouble putting it together.

"That's what is terrifying me."

Soda shuffled around uneasily, "I don't...I don't get it. Maybe I don't want to. Damn. Her anniversary is in two days huh?" He didn't want to let on any ideas from Terrence's statement. He couldn't scare Steve like that.

Steve nodded, "I don't want to be near him then. Soda, I can't be, I just..."

"We won't let you," Soda interrupted, "You're safe here. Why don't you go ahead and take a nap? I'll go talk to Darry."

"Yeah, okay. I probably need it," Steve agreed.

* * *

"Darry, you don't think Terrence would..." Soda began saying after relaying what Steve had just told him.

Darry shook his head, "Maybe he was trying to scare him. Maybe he was even trying to scare us, and that's why he didn't try going back for Steve at the hospital. Maybe he's hoping we just bring Steve home out of fear or threats."

Soda's leg began jumping, "I thought I was scared of all this before, but now...I'm not going to be able to sleep."

"It's going to be okay, Pepsi-Cola. I promise."

* * *

It was a quiet night at the Curtis household. Everyone was able to get in a deep sleep from the exhaustion of the day. Darry never talked to Steve about what happened at the hospital. He already knew how he wanted to keep Steve safe the next couple days, but he didn't want to worry Steve over it. He figured Steve would worry anyway.

It was the middle of the night when Steve awoke. He was surprised to find he had fallen asleep at all. Needing the reassurance, he sat himself up and looked around the room. He was relieved to find he was still at Soda's. As much as he wanted to stay in bed and go back to sleep, he felt the urge to go for a smoke.

"Damn nicotine," Steve muttered to himself. He knew he would toss and turn the rest of the night if he didn't calm the urge. Getting himself up, Steve first went to the bathroom. As he stood over the toilet, he slightly flinched from the pain of the infection. He finished up and walked down the hall. Peeking in Soda and Pony's room, Steve found them fast asleep.

At the bottom of the stairs, Steve walked to the window and looked outside the front yard. No one was out there and Steve couldn't see any vehicles that resembled his father's. Still not wanting to take a chance, Steve slipped his jacket on and went out to the backyard. He lit a cigarette and took a big drag, wanting to finish it fast.

The cigarette helped relax him. He hadn't felt relaxed since the hospital. A lot of emotions were sitting at the pit of his stomach. Although he was scared of what his father said, and anxious to figure out what he meant by it, he felt sadness trying to make a breakthrough. His mom's anniversary was only hours away. Steve always missed his mom, but the circumstances recently made him miss her terribly.

Steve looked up at the stars in the cloudless sky, "Mom, I need you here. I'm sorry to say, but I don't think I can ever go back home to dad. Something is wrong with him, and I'm in so much pain. I'm sick of hurting, I'm sick of being mad, I'm sick of being scared. I've never missed you as bad as I do now. You would have never let this happened." Steve looked down to the porch as his eyes fill with tears. He began quietly crying as the tears slipped down and hit the porch. "I don't know what to do. I just want to be left alone. Please, just leave me alone."

Steve calmed himself to take the last small puffs of his cigarette. As he tossed it down, a rustle in the bushes made Steve jump.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I apologize for how long it has taken me to update any of my stories! I have been fighting a virus that has just made me really tired and unable to focus. I hope this lengthy chapter makes up for it. Please enjoy.

When Darry got up the next morning, he first made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. The hot water pouring over his body was soothing. Yesterday had been a long, rough day. It wasn't suppose to be, but it turned into just that. His plan was to go to the hospital and pick Steve up and start his recovery to get him strong and back to normal again. Terrence was not planning to stop this. Darry had accepted that by now. He had to accept it by now. He couldn't underestimate what Terrence's abilities were anymore. He'd have to try and put himself in Terrence's mind and figure out what his next step was and try to get a couple steps ahead of that.

After getting himself cleaned up, dried off, and freshly shaven, Darry walked back to his room to get into some clothes. He groaned as he tried to find some clean clothes, but realized he had neglected to do laundry lately. "Oh well," Darry commented as he grabbed the cleanest shirt and jeans he could find. He laughed to himself as he assumed Soda and Pony had probably been wearing clothes multiple times by now, but didn't care to tell Darry about laundry needing to be done. "They'd rather wear dirty clothes than do laundry," Darry grinned.

Grabbing his laundry basket, Darry went downstairs and went straight for the laundry room. He threw his clothes in and began the washing. "Now I just have to remember to switch it over," Darry told himself.

He went back upstairs and quietly went into his little brother's room. Sodapop and Ponyboy were still fast asleep, so Darry collected their laundry and quietly exited the room. "Guess I should get Steve's. Some of those blood stains might be stuck forever though."

As Darry slowly went into Soda's old bedroom, he was surprised to see the bed was empty. "Maybe he's in the bathroom or outside," Darry said to himself as he picked up a few of Steve's old shirts and jeans.

Leaving the room with the basket in hand, Darry peeked towards the bathroom and saw the door was open. He made his way downstairs and placed the basket by the other laundry. "Steve?" Darry called out. No response. He walked to the back door and peeked out to the backyard. No one.

As Darry reentered the house, he heard the front door open and shut. "Steve?" he asked.

"Nope, it's your actual favorite greaser!" Two-Bit called out.

"Who's favorite?" Darry mocked.

"No breakfast yet?" Two-Bit asked as he walked in the kitchen.

"I don't need to make you shit," Darry said, "Was Steve out front when you walked up?"

"No," Two-Bit responded, "Why?"

"He's not in his room."

"I mean...could he have tried to go for a walk?" Two-Bit suggested, "His legs aren't broken."

"He's suppose to be taking it very easy. I'm a little worried."

"He can be stubborn. He could be getting sick of the bed life," Two-Bit said. He was getting worried too, but he was hoping his suggestions would help make Darry feel better. He also hoped his suggestions were true.

* * *

"You just don't know how to listen do you?" the voice snarled, "You have no respect."

Steve flinched as he was smacked across the face. He wasn't prepared for this right now. His father had snuck into the backyard at the Curtis house. He used a blade, which Steve was almost convinced came from his own room, to get Steve to leave. Now they were home, it was the middle of the night, and he was regretting needing that cigarette.

"You hit me, and then run off?" Terrence said, "And then you were dumb enough to run to that Curtis house? What were you thinking? Of course that's the place I'm going to check, because I knew you were stupid enough to go there!"

A smack to the other cheek. Steve knew his father had a point though. If anyone wanted to find Steve, they knew he'd be at Soda's. Terrence didn't need to waste any time or thought to figure that out. Steve could have kicked himself for being so predictable.

"Are you scared?" Terrence asked with a mocking tone. Steve lowered his head. He gripped the sides of the chair he was sitting in and could suddenly feel how low he had sunk to his father's control. He could stand up if he wanted to or raise his hands up, but he felt stuck in that spot. The power Terrence had over Steve was at it's peak to keep him in that chair without anything holding him there. Terrence grabbed Steve's chin and raised his face up to look eye to eye. "You wouldn't have to be scared if you just behaved."

Steve's breathing began picking up it's pace. His eyes were watering. His mind was racing in too many directions for Steve to keep up with. He felt like he could hyperventilate.

"You are being a selfish little ass you know that? You don't deserve shit," Terrence snapped. He shoved Steve, causing him to stumble out of the chair and onto the floor. Steve groaned as he felt pressure in his groin and a pinch in his back. The knowledge Steve had of his health condition caused some fear to rise in him. He had an infection and couldn't be taking much more physical agony. One big thing that kept boggling in the back of Steve's mind was his medicine was at Soda's.

* * *

"I'm just going to go over there," Darry announced as he grabbed his truck keys. He knew he couldn't waste much time trying to think of where Steve was, or waiting for Steve to show up. If he was going to stay ahead of Terrence, he'd have to jump to any possibility and go for it.

"What do you want me to do?" Two-Bit asked.

"I'm sure Soda is getting up very soon," Darry said.

"Do you want me to tell him where you went?"

"Might as well, but don't let him leave if you can," Darry said as he walked out the front door. He climbed into his truck and started it up. Looking behind him, left and right, he slowly let off the brake and let the truck roll into the street.

"Okay Terrence, let's finish this."

* * *

Terrence grabbed Steve by the arms and forced him to his feet. He turned and shoved Steve to the stairs. As Steve fell onto his back against the stairs, he knew his father had certain intentions. Terrence knew what the doctor reported for Steve's injuries. Steve knew he couldn't underestimate what his father would try to do to him knowing all of that.

"Get upstairs," Terrence kicked at Steve's leg. Using the strength he could get together, Steve pulled himself up and half-crawled up the stairs. "We are not risking anymore bull shit here." Terrence went to look for something in the kitchen while Steve hurried into the bathroom first. He got himself to his feet while he began relieving himself. He bit down hard as the burn took over him. He hoped he could get something to help the infection, because not having medicine or constant fluids made it turn bad quick.

When he was finished, he sank down to the floor and just sat against the wall, needing to relax his groin. He didn't know what his father had in store for him, but he was absolutely terrified.

"Let's go," Terrence said as he approached the bathroom, "Get in your bedroom now."

Steve got himself up and followed his father into his bedroom.

"Lay down."

Steve got himself onto his bed. He tried to stay on guard, but he was feeling the bed overtake him with much needed sleep. He may not have wanted to be at his home, but his bed did feel good. As his head was slowly sinking into the pillow, he was shaken by a grab to his wrist. It took Steve a minute to understand what was happening when a cold metal hugged his wrist.

* * *

Soda was surprised to only find Two-Bit downstairs. "Wow, you got up early didn't you?" Soda grinned.

"Oh you know I just missed you guys," Two-Bit smiled.

"Or your mom worked late, so you came here searching for a hot breakfast," Soda cocked an eyebrow.

"That is one of the perks of coming here sometimes."

Soda laughed as he glanced out the window. He noticed his older brother's truck missing from it's spot in the driveway. Soda could feel himself get slightly nervous, jumping to the conclusion if Steve had to go back to the doctor. "Hey, you know where Darry went?"

"Yeah," Two-Bit replied. Soda waited for a more detail response, but could tell Two-Bit didn't want to go any further.

"Are you going to tell me where?"

"I don't want to be the deliverer of bad news," Two-Bit said.

"Too bad, you're the only one here," Soda crossed his arms, "What happened?"

* * *

Steve didn't sleep well the rest of the night hours. He was in an uncomfortable position. The pain in his groin and back was getting worse. Going to the bathroom was becoming more painful, and he felt his bladder control becoming weaker. He could feel his throat beg for water. The most Terrence did was give him a little water to swallow down some Tylenol, but that didn't do much for any pain. Terrence would let Steve go to the bathroom to relieve himself whenever it was needed, which Steve was most grateful for. By the early morning, Steve was just exhausted. In the little bit of time he had felt some strength coming back to him from the previous day, he quickly fell back to weakness.

* * *

Two-Bit sighed, "Darry couldn't find Steve this morning. We aren't sure if maybe he went for a walk or something, even though he's not suppose to. But don't worry, okay? Darry didn't waste time. He's going to Steve's house right now to check."

Soda went pale.

"Soda, don't panic..."

"But...how could...there's no way Terrence could have gotten in here without anyone knowing," Soda claimed.

"I know. Darry didn't understand it either. But he didn't want to assume Terrence had nothing to do with it either, so he's going over there. He knew you'd beg him to anyway," Two-Bit said. Soda ran a hand through his hair. Although he was confused how anything could have happened, he was clearly worried anyway. "And if Steve's not there, I'm sure Darry's driving around to find him to bring him back to rest."

Soda nodded, "Yeah, alright. Maybe I'll start making breakfast to get my mind on something else."

"Here buddy, I'll give you a hand."

Soda smirked, "This isn't going to turn into a very good breakfast."

"No it's not," Two-Bit laughed.

* * *

Darry stopped his truck in front of the Randle house. He was not willing to waste any time. He prayed that Steve may just be on a walk, and he'd only have to be annoyed that Steve wasn't following the doctor's orders. As he shifted the truck into park, Darry was settled on the commitment to approach Terrence. Opening the driver door, Darry was determined to make this the last visit. With each step up the driveway, he took deep inhales and exhales to keep himself leveled. A lot of rage was bottled up, but he had to keep it steady. For now anyways.

At the front door, Darry wiped his hands on his pants, drying any sweat. Raising his fist, he gave the door a few hard knocks. After a few minutes of no answer, Darry gave the door more knocks and rang the doorbell.

Darry glanced up at the window where Steve's bedroom was. He was becoming desperate for something, anything to give him an answer. "Come on Steve, if you're up there give me a sign or something."

Not having anymore patience, Darry pounded the door, "Come on Terrence! Open up now!" Darry glanced behind him as he saw Terrence's truck. "I know you're here Terrence! I'm not going anywhere!"

* * *

Terrence was feeling himself get heated as he continued to hear the knocks and yells through the front door. He looked down at Steve as he processed how to handle this. Reaching for his back pocket, he grabbed the blade he had been carrying around. He grabbed Steve's wrist, and pushed the blade against it. Steve was about to yell, but Terrence smacked him in the face before he could get it out.

"Don't make one noise," he whispered, "Don't call for anyone, don't yell, don't cry. Got it?" Steve held his breath as his father pushed the blade against him with each word. He felt his arm get moist as blood streamed down.

Terrence pulled the blade away and gave another strong slap to Steve. "Don't test me!"

* * *

The front door opened. "Well hello, Darrel," Terrence greeted, "What can I do for you this morning?" Darry felt as though he was face-to-face with the old Terrence again. He wasn't trying to be polite or give off a fake front anymore.

"I came here for Steve," Darry crossed his arms.

"He's not here," Terrence replied leaning against the doorway.

"Cut the bullshit," Darry said not taking his eyes off Terrence, "I know he is here, and I am here to get him."

"No," Terrence shook his head, not trying to lie this time.

"He is not safe here, and I am not leaving without him."

"Die on my porch for all I care." Terrence attempted to close the door, but Darry placed his foot in the way. He reopened the door, "Get off my property Curtis."

"No," Darry said. He took a step inside the Randle house, making Terrence take a couple of steps back.

"What are you going to do? Hit me?" Terrence mocked.

"Just let Steve come with me. If you want to live a miserable life or go waste yourself to be with Eliza, fine, but Steve has a full life ahead of him."

"He is my son," Terrence snapped, "I make the rules! I know what's best for him! I know what he needs, what we need!"

"Not anymore," Darry calmly replied. He didn't want to waste time saying too much, as he knew any words he said wouldn't do much.

Terrence reached back and pulled out the blade. "Leave, Darrel. You worry about your brothers and I'll worry about my son."

Darry looked down at the blade. He had seen hundreds of blades, and he had been in plenty of situations where a blade was pointed at him. It barely made him shudder to see some drunk adult threaten him with one. "Well Terrence, that's what I'm doing. Looking out for my brothers." Before Terrence could reply to that, Darry quickly kicked up and knocked the blade out of Terrence's grip. The knife fell to the ground and slid out of sight.

"You're going to regret this," Terrence threatened as he took a step towards Darry. He lifted his fist to throw a punch, but Darry grabbed the fist and held it in place. Darry knew talking wasn't going to do anything anymore. He'd have to fight Terrence to get Steve out.

Darry used his other hand to grab Terrence's other fist and pushed forward. Terrence yelled as he landed on the ground. He quickly got up and grabbed an empty beer bottle from the coffee table. Swinging it, Darry threw his arm up and let the bottle break against him. Terrence began backing up towards the kitchen as Darry continued towards him.

"This can end very easy Terrence," Darry said, "Just let Steve leave."

"Get out of my house!" Terrence barked as he rushed forward. He swung a fist and connected with Darry's jaw. Darry put his hands up ready to defend himself. He didn't want to really punch Terrence, but he wasn't sure if he'd have a choice. He had one more idea though. Taking the advantage that he had, Darry took a couple steps back and began moving up the stairs. He didn't take his eyes off of Terrence, and wouldn't put his back towards him.

Darry hurried a few steps up as Terrence launched for the stairs. "You can't take him," Terrence said, "I will set the cops on you!"

"No you won't," Darry shook his head, "The cops will take one look at Steve, figure out what's going on here, and he won't come back here. You'll lose anyway."

"You're going to regret this," Terrence snarled as he turned to go back to the kitchen. Darry heard him begin to rustle around in a drawer. He knew he couldn't take chances. He slowly got to the bottom step and waited. A few more noises were heard and he knew Terrence was heading back to the stairs. As he heard the footsteps get closer, Darry prepared himself.

Stepping down the last step, Darry pushed an unexpected Terrence back. Immediately after, he swung his fist and locked with Terrence in the face. Terrence fell backwards and slammed into the wall. He collapsed to the floor, and Darry found his intuition correct as he saw a gun fall to the floor. Terrence was knocked out. Darry hurried as he leaned over and grabbed the gun. He held onto it tight as he went upstairs.

Entering Steve's room, Darry tried not to gasp. Even with his adrenaline high, he wasn't expecting the scene he had walked into. One of Steve's wrists was handcuffed to the bed rail behind him. There was blood that had gone down his arm, onto his bed, and dripped a little on the floor. There were fresh hand marks on his face. Steve looked up at Darry with fear and relief. His face was pale and full of pain.

"Oh Steve," Darry said walking closer. He grabbed Steve's wrist to look at the handcuff. Steve hissed at the pain from the small cut that Terrence had created from the blade. "Sorry, do you know where the key is?"

Steve shook his head, "I need my medicine Darry. It hurts so bad."

"Okay, hang on, okay?" Darry left the gun in Steve's room and hurried back downstairs. He didn't know how blacked out Terrence was, so he knew he needed to be fast. Figuring Terrence would keep the key on himself, he began searching his jeans. He found a small key in the front pocket and ran back upstairs. First, Darry went to the bathroom and found two towels. Getting back into Steve's room, Darry unlocked the handcuff and let Steve's arm fall. "Here, let me get this wrapped up." Steve held his wrist up and let Darry wipe off the blood with one of the towels. "It won't be very clean, I just want to hurry out of here and we'll take care of it later."

"Just get me out of here," Steve begged.

Darry took the second towel and wrapped Steve's wrist in it. "Just hold onto it." Steve got up from his bed and felt an erupt pain in his groin and back. He whimpered as Darry helped him to his feet. "Just get to the truck, okay? Let's go."

Darry half-dragged Steve down the stairs. Each step hurt Steve and he felt himself collapse more and more into Darry's hold. He was too exhausted for his mind to catch up with what was happening and trusted Darry to lead the way. Steve almost turned to look for his father, but Darry kept his face towards the front door. "Don't worry about him. Just get outside."

Outside and down the driveway, Darry got Steve into his truck and hurried to the driver's side. Turning the key to start the truck, Darry looked at Steve and saw him half-awake. "Just stay with me Steve. Please stay with me."


	27. Chapter 27

Darry and Steve arrived back at the Curtis house. Steve was barely awake and had begun having body shakes. Darry was fearing he had gotten more sick in the short amount of time he was without medicine. Two-Bit, Ponyboy, and Soda were waiting on the front porch, as Darry had expected. Before Soda could rush to the truck, Darry stepped out and stopped him. "Soda, go get Steve's medicine in the cupboard. Pony, go bring the first-aid kit downstairs." Soda and Pony turned and hurried inside the house to retrieve the items. Two-Bit headed toward the truck to help Darry get Steve inside. Darry was thankful Two-Bit had showed up that morning, as he was realizing what he had done to Terrence and what may result from the altercation.

"Two-Bit, I'm going to need a big favor from you. Can you hang out here until Steve is settled?"

"Oh yeah, no problem." Two-Bit and Darry got Steve in the house and onto the couch. Darry was thankful to see Steve was still awake even though he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. It made him a little uneasy to watch Steve squirm all over the couch, unable to calm himself. Mumbles and whimpers escaped his lips. Soda brought the two medicine bottles and set them on the coffee table. He went pale as he saw his best friend's appearance.

"Darry," Soda's voice was shaky as he watched Steve, "Is he okay?"

"He will be," Darry said grabbing the pill bottles, "Try to help him calm down."

Soda sat on the floor next to the couch. He saw the bloodied wrist and gulped. He quickly tried to get away from the wrist and looked at Steve's face. His eyes were closed tight, tears were forcing their way out, and his body could not stay still. "Darry, he's in so much pain."

"I know," Darry said getting an antibiotic pill and a pain killer, "Two-Bit, get some water."

Soda grabbed Steve's hand that wasn't hurt. It scared him how shaky Steve's hand was. He squeezed it tight. "Steve, it's okay," Soda tried to hold back his own cries, but he couldn't help it as the tears rolled down, "It's going to be okay. I promise. You're the toughest greaser I know. After everything you have been through and you're still fighting. Just keep fighting. Just hang in there buddy."

Darry got over Steve and placed a hand on a cheek to try to keep his face still, "Steve, I'm going to put these pills in. Just drink them down." Darry placed the first pill in, and slowly let water slide in. Steve got it down and Darry repeated the process with the second pill.

"Pony, go get an extra blanket upstairs," Darry said as he pulled the first-aid kit closer. He grabbed the one blanket that was on the couch and put it over Steve. Grabbing Steve's wrist and removing the bloody towel, Darry began cleaning the blood off and applying antibiotic cream. "The cut isn't too deep, so we'll manage fine." Darry placed a bandage over the cut and wrapped the wrist up. The image of Steve was flashing in Darry's mind. It made him full of rage that Terrence went as far to handcuff his son to the bed like he was a prisoner. He didn't want to tell Soda about that, because he was already a wreck.

As Pony got back downstairs, Darry grabbed the extra blanket and got Steve wrapped up.

"Darry, he's still moving around," Soda continued to cry, "He's in pain." He kept holding onto Steve's hand, begging for the shakiness to stop and his best friend to get comfortable.

"He'll be okay, Soda, I promise," Darry reassured, "Let the medicine kick in." Darry was hoping he was right too, but he was secretly nervous too. Two-Bit and Ponyboy watched as Darry began cleaning everything in a hurry. They didn't understand why Darry was going all over the place. It was concerning them. Soda was too concerned about Steve to notice.

"Two-Bit, Soda, I need to talk to you," Darry said.

"Darry, I-I can't leave..." Soda pleaded, "I have to help him."

"Soda, he'll be okay. Pony will sit with him, okay?"

Two-Bit stood up and waited. "Come on Soda, he's not going anywhere," Two-Bit held his hand out.

Soda slowly let go of Steve's hand and grabbed Two-Bit's. He hesitantly got up, and didn't take his eyes off Steve as he walked into the kitchen. Pony walked over and sat at the end of the couch. He readjusted the blankets as Steve's body was starting to settle.

Two-Bit and Soda followed Darry out into the backyard. "Darry, what's going on? You seem very anxious," Two-Bit said.

"Two-Bit, I need a huge favor from you," Darry said.

"Yeah sure."

"Terrence and I got into it. We fought, I hurt him...I hurt him bad," Darry explained.

"Well, he deserved it," Two-Bit smirked. Soda didn't appear effected by Darry's statement. He agreed with Two-Bit and he didn't feel in the least bit sorry for Terrence.

"I know he did," Darry agreed, "I didn't want it to get that far. I had no choice though. To get Steve out, I just had to. Terrence was knocked out when we left."

"Oh God," Soda said quietly.

"I don't know what's going to happen next, but I'm worried. He could call the cops on me for assault. I could go to jail and they take Soda and Pony. Then they take Steve and could bring him back home. Or with Steve's injuries, they'll also take him to a boy's home. We can't let that happen," Darry explained. It was starting to come together for Two-Bit on why Darry was being so anxious and on edge.

Soda was already shaken over seeing his best friend in uncontrollable pain on the couch, but what Darry was saying brought him to fear of an unknown outcome. "Darry, what are we going to do?"

"That's what I need Two-Bit for," Darry said, "Two-Bit, I want you to take the boys to your house. Take Soda, Steve, and Ponyboy. They need to be out of here in case Terrence sends the cops on me. If I go to jail, that's whatever, I'll do what I need to do and be out. I can't risk them being caught here though. The state would just take them all away."

"I can do that," Two-Bit agreed, "What should I do with Steve?"

"You just need to worry about keeping Steve in bed and give him his medicine. Soda will be there to help," Darry explained.

"How long?" Soda asked, wiping his eyes. He didn't like what was about to happen, but he knew Darry was right. They have had conversations before about taking precautions if Darry ever got put in a jeopardizing situation. Soda was prepared to get him and Pony out of the house, so the state didn't have the immediate opportunity to do anything.

"I don't think it will be too long to figure out if Terrence is going to call the cops or not. Soda, I just can't risk what Terrence is going to do next and I hope Pony will understand."

Soda nodded, "We'll be okay."

* * *

Steve stirred slightly as his eyes fully opened. He never fell asleep, but he finally felt comfortable enough to open his eyes and relax. He looked over and saw Ponyboy sitting by his feet. "Hey kid," he greeted with a weak voice.

"Hey," Pony said, "Are you feeling okay?"

Steve felt his head fully sink into the couch pillow, "I'm okay."

"You were scaring us, especially Soda."

"You know what, Pony? I was scaring myself," Steve admitted. He wouldn't go into detail how scared he had gotten though. He truly thought he was dying.

* * *

Upstairs, Two-Bit helped Soda pack some clothes for everyone. If Terrence was going to send the authorities over, he would probably be doing it very soon. Darry was in the backyard still, talking to Ponyboy.

"Darry..." Pony said with tears forming in his eyes. Darry explained to him what was going to happen, and he knew Ponyboy wouldn't react the best.

"Ponyboy, it's going to be okay," Darry pulled Pony into a hug, "Do you hear me? Everything's going to be okay."

"What if you go to jail? They'll take me and Soda away anyway," Pony cried into Darry's chest.

"I don't know that for sure Pony, but I'd feel better if it was just me here if the police were to come," Darry said, "You'll be with Soda, you'll be fine."

"What if Terrence doesn't call the police? How long do we have to wait?" Pony asked.

"Just a couple of days and then I'll feel better about it. I just can't risk it, I can't risk you guys," Darry pulled Pony off of him and looked into his eyes, "Do you understand why I'm doing this?"

Pony nodded, "I do, but I'm scared."

"Everything will work out. Trust me," Darry gave Pony's shoulders a tight squeeze.

"I do."

* * *

Two-Bit and Soda got everything in Two-Bit's car. Pony sat on the front porch smoking a cigarette, waiting for the last possible moment to get in the car to leave. He wasn't that worried about leaving for a couple days, he was worried if anything would happen while they were gone. He knew anytime the phone would ring, he would panic if it'd be a phone call from the jail.

"Okay Steve, ready?" Darry asked. Steve looked up at Darry, but didn't respond. Darry knew he was out of it. "I know your body is just exhausted and desperately needs to rest. Just walk to the car and walk in Two-Bit's house and you can pass out as long as you want to."

Helping Steve up, Darry kept one of the blankets around him. Darry walked Steve to Two-Bit's car. "Are you still in a lot of pain?" Darry asked as he sat Steve down in the back of the car.

"Some pain. Better than when I got here though. I just feel so tired. I can't keep my eyes open long."

Darry placed the blanket on Steve, "I can tell you're doing better since you aren't shaking anymore. I'm sure that wore you out. Just get comfy when you get there and get lots of rest. Soda will be there to take care of you."

"You can keep this here," Steve said looking down at the blanket.

"No, take it. You need it," Darry said.

"Okay. Darry?"

"What?"

"Thank you so much, for everything. Thank you for getting me out of there."

"Of course Steve," Darry took Steve's hand and gave it a squeeze. He shut the car door and watched as Steve's head fell against the window. Both Two-Bit and Soda stood at the driver's side of the car. Two-Bit climbed into the driver's seat as Darry made his way over to Soda. "Take care of Pony, okay? I know he's scared."

Soda nodded, "I will." Soda gave Darry a hug. "If anything happens, take care of yourself." Soda let go of the embrace and climbed into the backseat with Steve. He reached over, pulled Steve off the window, and brought him over to lay against his chest instead.

Darry walked over to the porch. Pony had his head hung low, not wanting to have to leave.

"Pony?" Pony slowly looked up at his oldest brother. "I know you're scared, but you have to let me worry about everything. Okay?"

Pony stood up, tossed his cigarette, and fell into Darry's arms. "A couple days?"

"Yes, a couple days. If nothing happens, then I'll assume Terrence isn't getting the fuzz involved."

"Okay."

"I love you little buddy," Darry kissed Pony on the top of his head.

"I love you too," Pony wiped his eyes, refusing to cry.

Ponyboy slowly walked to Two-Bit's car and climbed into the passenger seat. Darry waved as the car backed out of the driveway and drove away. Thankfully, Two-Bit's house wasn't a far drive.

* * *

At Two-Bit's house, everyone got settled. Steve got put in Two-Bit's bed and went to sleep immediately. Soda and Pony were hanging outside.

"Are you doing okay?" Soda asked.

Pony nodded, "I think so. I'm just anxious."

"Yeah. Me too buddy."

"I mean what if Terrence really does call the fuzz? It's not Darry's fault. They should be taking Terrence in for what he's done to Steve," Pony argued.

"I know Pony, but you know why we can't call the fuzz on Terrence. Steve is technically a minor and they would take him to a boy's home. We have to take this into our own hands," Soda put an arm around Pony, "And Darry's...he's amazing. He didn't bail on Steve because of what could happen to him after he hurt Terrence. He did what he had to, he's made a sacrifice, he's willing to get locked up for the night for Steve. He'd do that for any of us. You may not realize this or understand why, but he may have saved Steve's life."


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Hey readers! If any of you have a minute to spare, please go to my profile and take a poll at the top of it. Thank you :)

Steve slept until the next morning. He wasn't sure how long he had been out, but he was feeling rested. Opening his eyes, he had to take a look around to realize he was in Two-Bit's bed. His brain was a little fuzzy, and he wasn't sure why he was at Two-Bit's. His stomach felt sore, his head ached, and his back felt tight. He could feel himself able to stay awake though, which said a lot to him since he couldn't remember the last thing he was awake for.

The door cracked open and Two-Bit poked his head in, "Hey, you're up."

Steve tried sitting up, but groaned at the pain that fired back at him. He wondered how long he had laid in that position.

"Hey, take it easy," Two-Bit walked further in and helped adjust the pillow for Steve to sit up against, "No need to rush. You gave us quite a scare yesterday. You were really out of it and couldn't relax you were in so much pain." Two-Bit handed over the glass of water on the side table.

Steve took it and slowly sipped the water down his dry throat, "I don't even remember coming here."

Two-Bit handed Steve his antibiotic pill, "Do you need a pain pill?"

Steve nodded, "Please."

Two-Bit took out a pill bottle in his jacket pocket and unscrewed the lid. He let a pill fall into his palm and handed it to Steve.

"Thanks," Steve placed it in his mouth and took more swallows of water. He let out a breath as he patiently waited for some relief. "Where's Soda?"

"He's here too. So is Pony."

"Why are they here? Why am I here?" Steve asked.

"Figures you wouldn't remember. You were barely awake the entire time," Two-Bit sat at the end of the bed, "Do you remember Darry getting you from your house?"

Steve nodded, "Mostly. I think I may have blacked out before we got back though. I remember waking up a little bit, but I don't remember much."

"Well," Two-Bit wasn't sure if he wanted to spill what Darry had did. He didn't know how Steve would react. Would he be happy or possibly mad? Would he understand? "Darry sort of hurt your dad."

"What do you mean?"

"He hurt him to get you out of there. He knocked him out and everything."

"Wh-What?" Steve asked.

"He had no choice Steve. He had to get you out," Two-Bit explained, "Anyway, Darry was worried that he may call the cops on him. He didn't want the fuzz to take Soda and Pony, or even you. So you guys are just laying low here until things seem cool."

Steve looked out the window, "Damn. He shouldn't have had to make Soda and Pony leave over me."

"He was just trying to be safe. He couldn't just leave you there, Steve. You could be dead by now."

Steve shook his head, "All the trouble I've caused."

"Hey Steve, cut that out. You didn't cause any trouble and you haven't been causing any. We're all brothers, none of us were going to leave you there. If it wasn't Darry, Soda would've made his way in. I would have or Dally."

"I guess. I just hate thinking I'm affecting their chances of staying together. I should have just stood up to my dad," Steve said sounding regretful.

"It was your dad, Steve. He knew how to get to you so you wouldn't fight back. Besides the fact he left you pretty handicapped."

Steve looked down to the bed, "Damnit Two-Bit, look at me though. I've sunk so low! No one else should have had to do that, or any of this. So much for being tough, huh?"

"Steve, you should know that being tough ain't just about muscle and hair and tough looks. You've been surviving shit that a lot of people will never have to go through. Your dad wouldn't have cared if he ever killed you, but you didn't let that happen. You are very tough. If anyone says otherwise, I'll gladly kick their head in."

Steve grinned, "Thanks. Has anyone heard from Darry?"

Two-Bit shook his head, "That's good news though if we aren't getting a phone call. We'll call him later and see what's going on. If the fuzz doesn't show up today, y'all can probably go back tomorrow. And I can have my bed back."

"I don't love it anymore than you do," Steve shook his head.

"Hey, I have a comfy bed!"

"Just knowing you sleep in this bed, and I don't know your sleeping habits, makes my skin crawl," Steve chuckled.

"Don't worry, I only sleep naked on Saturdays," Two-Bit winked.

"Oh dear God," Steve ran a hand down his face.

There was a knock on the door as Two-Bit laughed to tears. "Keith?"

Two-Bit tried calming his laughs as he answered, "You can come in mom."

"She still calls you Keith?" Steve grinned.

Two-Bit smiled, "My mommy can call me whatever she wants."

Mrs. Mathews entered the room with a bowl and cup in her hands. "Hi Steve," she smiled. She had a warm smile that all of the greasers adored. If anyone needed a mother-type treatment, they weren't shy to stop by Two-Bit's house, even if Two-Bit wasn't home.

"Hi Mrs. Mathews," Steve smiled back.

"I brought you some soup and some cranberry juice," she set the bowl and cup down on the side table, "This juice will really help that infection. It cleans you out."

"Thank you."

"Everyone can stay as long as they need to. And with how sick you've gotten, I might force you to stay here a while," she smiled as she placed a hand on Steve's forehead and cheek, "You still have a fever. Get to eating, you'll need something in you. I got to get going to work, so keep an eye on him Keith."

"Yes mommy," Two-Bit smiled.

"You use whatever you need Steve. We have plenty of food, or you can shower, or anything you need."

"Alright, thank you," Steve waited until she left the room to ask, "Does she know why we're here?"

Two-Bit shrugged, "I didn't say much, but she's not dumb. I don't think she knows exactly about your dad though. She probably thinks you were jumped and Darry got into something and needed his brothers out for a bit."

"That's safer for her to think," Steve nodded. He leaned over to grab the bowl and began sipping some of the hot broth. Before he could refill the spoon with the liquid, a realization came over him and he accidentally dropped the spoon, letting it cling against the rim of the bowl.

"You okay, Steve?" Two-Bit asked.

Steve took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears deep down, "It's my mom's anniversary."

* * *

"Hey Steve," Soda went to check on Steve shortly after Two-Bit was in there, "I'm glad to see you up."

"Hi," Steve said, "I've feeling good since eating that soup."

"Good," Soda said, "How are you feeling?"

"I just told you," Steve smirked.

"No, I mean about what today is," Soda took a breath, "Your mom."

"I'm okay," Steve admitted, "Not exactly how I planned to spend today."

"I know. Just got to get through today. I got something for you though, something I grabbed before we left," Soda sat on the bed.

"What?"

Soda handed Steve a rectangle object. Steve flipped it over and looked at it. It was a picture. He felt his heart skip a beat. In the picture was Steve and his mom. She had her long, strawberry-blonde hair flowing down over her white dress with yellow and pink flowers. Steve was a 7 year-old boy, just sitting on her lap, laughing. Just like that, seven years worth of memories poured into Steve's mind. Everything he remembered about his mom and everything they did together. Steve realized how short seven years really was. There wasn't enough memories, but no more could be added. He lowered the picture onto his lap, and knew his mom would have never let all of this happen. Of course it never would have happened if she wasn't gone to begin with.

"Wow Soda," Steve said looking down at the picture, unable to take his eyes away as he took in every little detail, "I can't believe you still have this. It's been...so long since I last saw it."

Soda nodded, "The last picture of you guys together. I remember five years ago, for her five year anniversary, you were so upset at that picture. You gave it to me and told me to destroy it. You said you never wanted to see it again no matter what."

Steve looked up at Soda, "Oh my God, that's right. I had completely forgotten about that. You never did get rid of it."

"Of course not. I knew one day you'd want to see it again."

Steve looked back down and felt tears well up in his eyes, "She was so beautiful."

Soda smiled, "She looks so happy there too. That's how she's looking down at you."

"Do you think? Even after I wanted this to be destroyed and after everything that's been happening lately."

"Of course buddy. She'll always be smiling down at you."

Steve felt his heart sink at the realization of if Soda had destroyed it. He would never have had the chance to see it again. "Thanks for not listening to me about getting rid of it."

"I could never do that to you," Soda got up off the bed, "I'll leave you alone, alright? I'll come back up soon and maybe we can play cards or something."

Steve didn't answer as he continued to stare at the picture. Soda smiled, glad he always kept the picture in a safe spot until the time was right to bring it back to light. When Soda left the room, Steve held onto the photo tight. He placed it against his chest and looked towards the window. "I love you mom."

* * *

Pony anxiously waited as the dial tone continued to ring. He prayed his oldest brother would pick up the phone. Soda and Two-Bit were doing a decent job of keeping him distracted, but he was more than ready to give Darry a call.

"Hello?"

'Thank God,' Pony thought to himself. "Hi Darry, it's Ponyboy."

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing good. Has anything happened over there?"

"Nothing," Darry answered, "So that's a good sign. How's Steve?"

"He's doing good. He actually woke up this morning after being out all day yesterday, and he's been eating a little."

"That's good to hear."

"It sounds like he doesn't really remember yesterday though."

"That's not entirely a bad thing," Darry commented.

"Can we come home tomorrow?" Pony asked, "I mean, it's not that bad here. Mrs. Mathews has been really nice. I just want to know everything is okay."

"Well little buddy, you might be able to come back tomorrow. I have something to take care of first, and then I'll see, alright?"

Pony sighed, "Okay. Well Soda and Two-Bit are outside doing God knows what, so I better go join them. I'll call you later."

"Alright, talk to you soon."

* * *

Steve could hear his three friends outside through Two-Bit's window. He was okay with that though. He just needed to be alone for a while. Laying flat on his back, he kept going back and forth between looking at the picture of his mom to holding it close to him. Missing his mom had a whole different meaning this year. He knew when the 10 year mark hit, it would be a hard day for him. His mom's death never got easier, and he always had a hard time thinking about her. The different meaning came from what had been going on between him and his father. It made Steve beg for his mom to be back. He desperately needed her. He desperately wanted love from a parent.

Closing his eyes, Steve attempted to fall asleep, but the cries began pouring out of him. He picked up the picture and looked at it through the blurred-vision from the tears. "Mom, I don't know how to move on from this."

* * *

Later that evening Two-Bit, Soda, Pony, and Mrs. Mathews all sat at the table eating some dinner. By that time, the boys were feeling good that Terrence wasn't going to call the police on Darry for assault. Soda planned to call Darry soon to make sure Terrence at least hadn't shown up at the house either.

"That was delicious Mrs. Mathews, thank you so much," Soda said standing up from the table.

"Oh of course, honey. Keith, why don't you bring a plate up to Steve and see if he wants any?"

Two-Bit wiped his hands on his napkin, "Sure thing Ma. Does he need his medicine?"

"He needs to take another antibiotic. Do you think he should try and wait out on the pain one?" Soda asked.

"Oh honey, if the boy is in pain give him one," Mrs. Mathews said, "Yesterday he never woke up, give him a break."

"Maybe I'll help him take a shower tonight," Soda added in.

Two-Bit made Steve a plate and headed upstairs. He knocked on the bedroom door and walked in. "Hey Steve, you hungry? I also got your pills."

Steve was flipping through a magazine when he looked up at Two-Bit. "Sure. Hey Two-Bit, do you have any manlier magazines to look at?"

"What's wrong with those?" Two-Bit asked, sounding offended.

"I don't really care for Mickey Mouse magazines or coloring books."

"Well I'm sorry your highness," Two-Bit scoffed as he watched Steve place something in his mouth, "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Steve asked with a full mouth.

"In your mouth?"

"Food."

"What kind of food?"

"A sweet food."

"Steve!"

Steve swallowed as he reached for another one, "A cookie."

"Are those my special cookies?"

Steve busted out laughing, causing some crumbs to fly out, "Oh my God, you are unbelievable."

"My mom makes those cookies special for me," Two-Bit crossed his arms.

"Sounds like they aren't too special if she brought them to me," Steve said placing another cookie in his mouth.

"Mom!" Two-Bit turned towards the door.

"Oh Two-Bit." Two-Bit turned back towards Steve. "Could you be a dear and bring me some milk for these cookies? Is that your special drink for these?"

"Ha! Jokes on you, I drink beer with my cookies," Two-Bit left the room, "Mom! Why would you give Steve my cookies!"


	29. Chapter 29

It was around lunchtime the next day when the phone rang. Soda and Pony felt their hearts drop, begging for it to not be a call from the jail. It didn't seem logical for Terrence to wait so long to have called the police, but the brothers couldn't help but let the worry take over any logical thinking. They couldn't bear to get up and answer the phone themselves. The brothers just sat, frozen still, watching Two-Bit go towards the phone. Pony turned his head away, not wanting to watch him lift the receiver.

"Hello?" Two-Bit answered, "Hey Dar, you okay?...oh good, had us worried there for a second." Two-Bit looked back at the brothers, giving them a look that said to relax. "Yeah, sure...oh, well yeah okay, but are you sure you want to do that?...yeah I guess that makes sense...yeah sure, hold on..." Two-Bit held the receiver out. "Soda, he wants to talk to you. Don't worry Pony, he's still at home."

Soda tried to slow his heart as he walked towards the phone. He picked it up, knowing his voice was about to sound a little shaky, "Hey Darry. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's just fine. How's Pony?"

"He's fine. He's just having a good old time with me and Two-Bit entertaining him," Soda said sticking his tongue out at his little brother.

Pony just shook his head, "Tell Darry to get me out of here."

Darry chuckled, "You guys are going to make him hibernate in his room for a week. How's Steve doing?"

"He's good. He's been in bed the whole time," Soda rolled his eyes, "He's getting anxious though now that he's feeling a little better."

"Go figure he can't sit still any more than you can," Darry replied, "Well I think it's fine for everyone to come home, but I need you and Two-Bit to help me with something first."

"No. We are not coming to clean the house. You had all of this alone time to clean," Soda grinned.

"Trust me, I cleaned a lot," Darry chuckled, "It's not that."

"Okay, okay, if it's not cleaning, I guess I can spare some time."

"I'm sure you can. I want you and Two-Bit to come with me to Steve's house," Darry said.

Soda's mouth dropped open, "We're not going to kill him Darry."

"No you doof. We're going to get Steve's things."

"What?" Soda asked quietly, looking back at Two-Bit and Ponyboy.

"We're going to get his things and just get him out of there for good. He can't ever go back," Darry explained.

"I know he can't, and he shouldn't. How do you think Terrence will react when we get there?"

"That's part of why I want you and Two-Bit with me. If he needs a little influencing, we'll do it."

"Are you going to tell Steve? What is he going to think?"

"I'm not going to tell him right now, no. I just want us to go and get it done. Then we can get Pony and Steve back here," Darry said.

Soda nodded, "Okay Darry. We'll be over soon." Soda slowly hung up the phone. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, trying to fight the strong emotions he was feeling. Some relief was starting to come over him. The idea that things could finally be okay was overwhelming. He fought back the tears, letting it soak in that Steve could finally be safe.

* * *

"You seem quiet," Two-Bit commented as he backed his car out of the driveway, "Did you tell Pony what we were doing?"

"No, I didn't want him to worry. I just told him we were going to check in with Darry first. I do want to get Steve out of there, I do. I am nervous though," Soda admitted.

"Why? Terrence?" Two-Bit asked, pushing on the gas pedal to drive down the neighborhood, "He's got nothing on us."

"Yeah, but I am still worried what Terrence could do."

"Hey, there will be three of us. That drunk ain't got a chance."

"I guess you're right, but I'm not really worried about what he'll do to us. He could come for Steve again over this," Soda began biting at a fingernail, "I'm also nervous what Steve will think."

"He doesn't want to go back home," Two-Bit said confused.

"I know he doesn't," Soda agreed, "I just hope this isn't too much for him. I hope he doesn't get overwhelmed that all his stuff will be at our house and that he's really never going back. It's not like he's moving out on his own and can just say bye to his dad, at least the dad he used to have. I know Steve, we all know Steve, he's not one to get told what to do."

"We aren't trying to tell him what to do," Two-Bit reassured, "Hell, he's also not one to accept help, but we have to step in at some point."

"I know. He's just going to get hit with the reality of us making the choice for him. The reality of him never going back home."

Two-Bit glanced at Soda, "He's not never going home again. He's just going to his new home."

* * *

After Soda and Two-Bit left, Pony went upstairs and entered Two-Bit's bedroom. "Here's some food Mrs. Mathews made," Pony set down the plate that had a couple of turkey sandwiches on it.

"I'm going to be so overweight by the time I can get up and do anything again," Steve commented picking up the plate, "I eat one meal and she makes another."

"You don't seem to be complaining," Pony smirked as Steve took a bite.

Steve shrugged, "I can't be rude now. I might as well make it worth her cooking so much."

Pony put his hands in his pockets, "That's one thing to miss about having a mom, huh?"

"You ain't wrong about that," Steve grinned, "Makes me wonder why we don't come hang here all the time."

"Because that would require being around Two-Bit more," Pony rolled his eyes. As much as he considered Two-Bit a close friend, putting him and Soda together drove Ponyboy up the wall.

"That does kind of put a damper on things," Steve chuckled.

"I don't know if I would have lasted here if you were well enough to cause shit with those two," Pony shook his head, "It's been a crazy house. I'm probably sounding like Darry."

"Speaking of, did you get to talk to him?"

Pony shook his head, "Sounds like he was going to do something with Soda and Two-Bit before we all get back there."

Steve slowly nodded, trying to think of what they could possibly need to do. He wanted to know, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He hoped it had nothing to do with his father. He hoped they all would just leave that alone. If Terrence wasn't sending anyone out to get Darry for what he did, there shouldn't be a reason for Darry to go over there and possibly cause more problems. 'Just leave it alone please,' Steve thought to himself.

"Do you think you're going to stay with us now?" Steve didn't look at Pony as he shook his head in response. "Why not? You aren't really thinking about going home are you?"

"No," Steve sighed, "But I'm not going to assume to just move in with you guys either."

"You know Darry's not going to let you live on the streets."

Steve sighed, "I just don't like favors, kid."

Pony nodded, "I guess. At least we can all just go back there today. You'll get back on your feet soon enough."

"Yeah. That is all good news then huh? My dad didn't call the fuzz or anything."

"Doesn't sound like it. Do you think Darry scared him out of trying anything again?"

Steve thought for a moment, "I don't really know. I don't seem to ever know what is going on in my dad's head anymore. There could be something else going on that is about to throw me through a fucking loop again."

* * *

A few hours passed, and neither of the boys knew what was going on. Pony would check on Steve, and end up sitting for a little bit just having conversations. Steve got up a couple of times, did some long stretches, and walked around the room. He got tired easily, and would still feel sore, but he was glad he didn't feel as weak. Steve was curious what Darry, Soda and Two-Bit were doing, but he tried not to worry about it. He sat on his bed, fiddling around with his mom's picture, when he heard noises from outside. 'They must be back,' Steve thought to himself. He placed the picture down and slowly got himself back to his feet. A few minutes passed before footsteps came upstairs.

"Hey," Soda greeted walking into the bedroom, "Oh, you're up and moving a little."

Steve sat back down on the bed, "Yeah, trying to."

"How is that feeling?"

"It feels okay. I think I have a long road to my back being 100% though," Steve shook his head, "I didn't realize how bad off the back could be when it gets hurt."

Soda nodded, "Well and yours was pretty bad. How about the infection?"

Steve looked up at Soda, "The pills are helping me get through that. I'd want to cut out my kidneys myself if I didn't have that."

"Well," Soda let a small grin come across his face, "Ready to go?"

Steve shrugged, "Yeah, kind of nervous, but ready."

"Nervous about what?" Soda asked confused.

"I just wonder what my dad's next move is," Steve looked down towards the pillow where the picture of his mom lay. He waited for Soda to tell him everything will be fine, and there was no way his father was getting to him again, but Soda was silent. Steve looked up and his best friend looked distracted by something. "Hey, you okay? Did you hear me?"

Soda looked at Steve, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay," Steve said looking back down at his mom.

"Well," Soda pointed out the door, "Darry is here, so he'll be up to help you get downstairs, okay? I'm going to bring our stuff out."

Steve nodded, "Alright. Thanks."

Steve kept his eyes on the picture as he heard Soda leave the room. He grabbed the picture and brought it closer to him. "What I would give to have you here right now," Steve sighed, "I guess Soda is close enough."

Darry appeared at the doorway, "Hey Steve. How are you feeling buddy?"

Steve didn't take his eyes off the picture, "I'm feeling okay. I've been glued to this bed."

"That's good though," Darry walked closer towards the bed, "What is that?"

Steve felt tears form in his eyes, "A picture of me and my mom. Soda had it."

Darry held out his hand and Steve handed the picture over. Looking down at it, a small grin came across Darry's face, "Wow, you were a cute kid. You look so happy here Steve."

Steve smiled, "So does she."

"She does," Darry handed the picture back to Steve, "I know your dad isn't showing it, but you're still loved by a lot of people."

Steve nodded, holding back the tears, "I know."

"I know you miss her a lot. I miss my mom a lot too," Darry nodded, "We got to be here for each other with that."

"You've been here for me a lot," Steve said, "I don't know where I'd be right now if you weren't here."

Darry lowered himself and pulled Steve into a hug, "Let's get you home, alright?"

It felt good for Steve to walk down the stairs. His muscles ached as they tried regaining their strength. Getting out the door was the best part. Steve didn't realize how much his body would desperately want the fresh air. He took in some deep breaths as he took steps towards Darry's truck. While Darry talked to Mrs. Mathews, Steve leaned against the truck and looked up at the sky. There were no clouds. The sun brightened up the sky. There was a slight breeze, blowing across his face. Closing his eyes, Steve just focused on that feeling. The cool, calmness making him feel at ease. He wanted to believe his mom was wrapping around him in that moment.

"Hey," Soda called from inside the truck, "Ready to go? Or you going to miss Two-Bit too much?"

Steve smirked as he turned to face Soda, "Let's get out of here."

* * *

He hadn't realized how much the other night was going to effect him. Each time he began walking through the living room, through the kitchen, and towards the backdoor, the memory of his father flashed into his mind. The last time he stood on the back porch was when his father caught him alone and vulnerable. Each time he reached for the doorknob, he expected his father standing right there. He would be standing right on the other side. He would be standing there ready. It had made Steve frustrated, he didn't want to let a memory control him at the Curtis house. Eventually getting fed up with it, Steve grabbed a deck of cards and sat at the kitchen table, beginning a game of Solitaire.

Darry entered the kitchen finding Steve at the table. "Hungry? I'm going to start getting dinner ready," Darry said.

"Yeah," Steve replied, shuffling out the next 3 cards.

"Is it nice to be up and moving?"

Steve nodded, "I've wanted to go out and just sit in the fresh air."

"Why don't you?"

"I keep thinking about the other night. When my father came and got me in the middle of the night."

Darry thought for a second, "You were outside when that happened?"

"Yeah, I went out the back," Steve said, "I was smoking and he came back there."

"Wow. He must have really been watching," Darry said quietly, unaware how much Terrence must have been keeping an eye on them. It angered Darry thinking that Terrence could have been just sitting outside, watching their home, stalking his brothers.

"He knows my habits I guess," Steve shrugged, "Now that I think about it, I haven't had a smoke since then."

"You were stuck in bed."

"Yeah, I was. It helped a lot though. I feel like I have some energy. Just hurting still."

"You'll be hurting for a while," Darry commented. He pulled out a pot and filled it with water, placing it upon the stove beginning to heat up. As he waited for the water to boil, he took a seat at the table, looking down at the cards. "Did Soda not want to play for once?"

"I didn't ask him," Steve said, "I just kind of grabbed them and sat down. Not in the mood for a crazy, loud game anyway."

"Yeah. Listen, I want to talk to you about something. Try going out to the backyard with me," Darry placed a hand over Steve's.

Steve sighed, "Okay." He placed his cards on the table and got up from the chair. He followed Darry to the back door, but kept his eyes on his feet. Darry placed his hand on the doorknob and looked back at Steve, who still wasn't looking up.

"I'm right here Steve," Darry placed a hand on his shoulder, "You have nothing to worry about." Darry opened the door, and waited.

Steve stood there. He lifted his head and looked out the door. His father wasn't there. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looked back down, and watched his feet carry him out onto the porch. He felt a shiver go up his spine as his head spun to the side. No one was there. Darry followed behind, closing the door. "It's just hard," Steve said looking out into the grass, "Remembering what happened the last time I stood out here."

"It's not going to happen again," Darry walked down and sat on the top porch step, "Sit down."

Steve followed suit, sitting next to Darry. He looked down as his hands began fiddling around one another.

"Steve, I had Two-Bit and Soda come help me earlier today," Darry began.

"Help with that?" Steve asked confused.

"I wanted to get your stuff out of your house," Darry explained, "You aren't going back there Steve. Never again."

Steve sighed, "Darry..."

"I'm not going to hear it, Steve. The last time I saw you there..." Darry swallowed hard, looking away, "You were handcuffed to the bed. That day has become a bit of a blur, I don't think Soda even knows about all of that." Steve was silent as Darry looked back at him. "That was awful Steve. You should have never had to be like that. You are his child, not a prisoner."

Steve slowly nodded, biting his lower lip, "So...what happened when you guys got there?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Darry said putting an arm around Steve.


	30. Chapter 30

Darry, Steve, and Soda climbed into Darry's truck. Steve felt his nerves rise at the idea of going back to his house. Darry hadn't gone into detail as to why they needed to bring Steve to collect his things. It's not like he had a lot to bring. He watched as Soda became uneasy in the truck. He sat in the middle seat and just looked down at his lap. Steve could tell Soda wanted to be his support system, but he also didn't want to go be a part of whatever this was. Something was distracting him.

* * *

_"What happened?" Steve asked nervously. Darry had said he needed to talk to Steve about the visit to his house. That could mean a spectrum of things._

_"We weren't able to get your things," Darry said._

_Steve swallowed, "It's not a big deal Darry." He didn't want to imagine what could have taken place between his father and Darry, Soda, and Two-Bit. He didn't want to care. He didn't need his stuff. He was a greaser, he'd be just fine. He could tough it out._

_"No, you don't understand. It wasn't really your dad that stopped us."_

* * *

Darry stopped the truck in front of Steve's house. Steve was leaning his head against the car door. He just looked out the window, into the street, avoiding his house. He didn't want to do this. He was over everything. He didn't want to do anything anymore. He just wanted everything to be over.

"Steve," Soda put his hand on Steve's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "It's okay. Really."

* * *

_"What are you talking about?" Steve asked._

_"We just ran into another problem," Darry said, "Soda and I are going to have to bring you there and show you."_

_Steve looked up, "Darry, you're scaring me."_

* * *

Steve slowly turned his head and looked towards his house. His car was in the driveway by itself. "Well, at least he's gone right now," Steve said feeling some hope that this wasn't about to turn ugly.

"Yeah," Soda sighed, "That does help."

Darry slowly pulled his keys out of the ignition, "Let's go." The three boys stepped out of the truck. Steve could sense how uneasy Darry and Soda were. It was making him nervous. He didn't want to ask though. His father wasn't home, so he figured that was good enough. Maybe they were uneasy from what happened earlier. Maybe what happened earlier was the reason his father wasn't home right now. Whatever had happened, Steve's confidence wasn't feeling so high as he watched his best friend hang his head low.

At the front door, Darry and Soda paused for a moment. Steve just looked down. He felt himself becoming on edge. He was near the idea of just turning around and leaving, not wanting to find out what was going on. He wanted to speak up and say he didn't care for his belongings. Just leave it behind and let him be. Deep down, Steve was starting to think this wasn't only about retrieving his things though, and that was an even scarier thought.

Darry grabbed the doorknob, and let the door slide open. He turned back and saw Steve refusing to look up. "Come on Steve." Grabbing Steve by the arm, he slowly lead him inside with Soda following behind.

Steve slowly lifted his head, and wasn't immediately sure what he was suppose to be seeing. The living room looked a little cleaned up and organized, but nothing seemed different. The boys walked a little further through the house and entered the kitchen. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Steve looked towards the table. He could tell his father had attempted to clean the table. It even appeared to have been scrubbed down. Regardless of the effort put into it, Steve could still see traces of the blood from his face being smashed against it. Closing his eyes tight for a second, Steve shoved the vision away. The stain was never going to be gone.

Making his way past the table and deeper into the kitchen, Steve opened the fridge. That was a habit when his father was unexpectedly gone. He looked closely and saw some food was gone and his father's beer was gone. "He must have went to a friends place," Steve commented. When his father went on his disappearing moments, he'd make sure to take all of his alcohol with him. That wasn't unusual. That's how Steve knew it could be a few days before his father returned.

"Should we go upstairs then?" Soda asked.

"Sure," Steve closed the fridge, "It looks like we're safe to take our time if he left for a couple of days. He must have bounced thinking Darry was going to send the fuzz or something."

"That'd be ironic, huh?" Soda asked following Steve up the stairs. A flash of a couple days ago stopped Steve at his bedroom door. He was getting hit hard with the last time he was there. Forced to his bed, no freedom, no sign of ever being let go.

"It's okay buddy," Soda placed a hand on his shoulder.

Steve turned to face the brothers, "Soda, you don't even know what Darry walked into a couple days ago."

"What do you mean?" Soda asked, looking over at Darry.

"I didn't have time to tell you the exact details little buddy," Darry sighed, "I was in a rush to get you all out of the house."

"I can barely remember it," Steve said as he stared past the brothers and towards the wall, "It all just seems so unreal now. Like there's no way that could have happened."

Soda noticed Steve's voice dropping as he spoke. "You don't have to tell me right now. Let's just get your things."

"He handcuffed me Soda," Steve blurted without a second thought, "He just kept me locked to my bed. When Darry got here, my dad ended up cutting me while he threatened me, didn't want me to make a single sound."

Soda put a hand over his mouth and shook his head, "Steve, I..."

"Don't say anything. Please. I just wanted you to understand." Steve turned, ending the conversation. The visual idea of his best friend chained to the bed made Soda sick. In an unsettling way, Terrence was constantly surprising him with the new ways he would torture Steve. He didn't realize he could create and hold so much anger inside. The idea of not being able to give Terrence a piece of his mind was upsetting Soda the most. He hated thinking Terrence was just going to get away with this.

Steve opened his bedroom door. He took a deep breath, wanting to get through this fast, and walked in. He avoided looking towards his bed as much as possible, not wanting to relive being forced to stay in his bed, away from society and any human rights. Something caught his eye rather quick though. He walked over to his dresser. His blade was there. The blade his father had took and ended up threatening him with. "Huh," he commented picking it up, "He left it here." He put it back down as it gave him chills. 'Might need to get a new one,' Steve thought to himself.

Turning around, he saw Soda and Darry were still standing at his doorway, just looking at him. "What?"

"You should see something before you pack up," Darry said. Steve got the hint that it wasn't about his blade or his room. He followed Darry towards the other end of the hallway, Soda staying behind him. They got to his father's bedroom. Steve got a flash of his father's words at the hospital.

_"And then we are going to be with her again."_

'He didn't," Steve thought to himself as he froze in front of the door. Darry stood right next to him.

_"We are going to end this pain and go be with her again, forever."_

Steve took a step back, shaking his head. "No..."

Soda put his hands on Steve's shoulders to stop him, "Steve, I promise, it's okay." Darry grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Steve felt his eyes slam shut, not wanting to know what was behind the door. He heard the door open up, and Darry didn't say anything. He waited patiently for Steve to look.

When Steve felt brave enough to, he opened his eyes a little and looked in. He could see the bed from the doorway, but no one was in it. He opened his eyes wider, hoping that was a good sign. Taking a couple steps, he walked past Darry and deeper into the room. He didn't see anyone. Looking over at his father's dresser, he saw the drawers unevenly opened. He walked over and opened them all further. They were all empty. Steve felt confusion come over him.

By instinct, he walked over to his father's closet and opened the doors. All of his father's clothes and belongings were gone. It was completely empty. Steve looked at Darry and Soda. Darry kept the most emotionless, straight face he could. Soda wasn't hiding much though. He could barely look at Steve as he kept his gaze to the floor. Steve could tell that if Soda were to look up, he'd lose it. What he couldn't quite tell is if he would lose it by being sad or angry.

"I don't get it," Steve said, hurrying out of the bedroom. He brushed past the brothers and went to the bathroom, opening the drawers. His father's toothbrush, comb, soap, shaving stuff, and all the towels were gone. He walked out of the bathroom and back into his father's room, going back to the closet. It was still empty.

"I don't get it," Steve repeated looking at Darry for an explanation. Before Darry could answer, Steve rushed out again and went back to his own bedroom. He grabbed his blade again and gave it a quick look over. He gripped it tight as he walked back to his father's room. He looked at the empty setting and looked back at Darry and Soda. "What's going on?"

Darry brought Steve to the bed and sat him down. "Steve, he's gone."

Steve looked up at Soda, who still refused to look anywhere but the floor. Looking to Darry, he asked with a shaky voice, "What do you mean? Gone how?"

"He just...left. He packed up his things and left."

"He...left?"

Darry slowly nodded, "He's gone. We don't know where he is or where he went, but he's gone. For good."

Steve didn't know what to say. His father just left? That was it? No word, or any form of showing he was getting out of his life? No idea once so ever of how he was moving on? Or where he was moving on to? "This doesn't make sense," Steve said getting up off the bed and leaving the room. He hurried downstairs and froze at the bottom of the stairs. He felt his chest tighten as he remembered getting kicked towards the stairs. He felt the humiliation in his face as he relived getting shoved time after time towards the floor. His hands clenched the stairwell as he felt his father shove him out of the chair. He bit his bottom lip as he saw the belt come across his back. He gasped for breath out loud feeling the grip pull his hair up. Tears began falling as he remembered the first smack across the face. The one time that started it all.

"Steve?"

Steve barely heard the voices behind him. It was all fuzzy. His legs grew weak as he sunk down to the floor.

'It was just a hit to the face,' Steve thought to himself, 'How could I have let it get this far?'

"Steve? Are you okay?"

'It was only a hit. It could have just been one time, but I let it get out of hand. It only had to be a hit. It only had to be one time.' Steve lay flat on the ground, laying his head on the floor, and cried the tears.

* * *

Darry and Soda ended up packing Steve's belongings. Steve stayed on the floor at the bottom of the stairs the entire time. He didn't talk to them. He simply cried. He tried processing everything, but he couldn't get his mind straight. When Darry and Soda were ready, they helped Steve up and back to the truck. They got back to the Curtis house in silence. Steve didn't go inside the house though, he sat down on the porch swing. Darry and Soda just went on inside, not bothering him.

Two-Bit and Pony were inside the house. Pony wasn't sure what had happened, but Darry assured him they would talk later. Right now, they just had to be there for Steve. That wasn't going to be easy as Steve wouldn't move from his spot. He let tears fall as many emotions came over him. He was sad, he was mad, and he was confused. Earlier that day, Steve was at some line of peace when he thought he just had to go back to Soda's house and not go back to his father. This was unexpected. Steve didn't imagine this to happen.

As time passed, Soda decided to go out and check on his best friend. He sat on the porch swing, and waited for Steve to say anything, as he wasn't sure what to say himself.

"Was it like that when you guys got there?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Soda answered, "We got there and he was gone. Me and Darry were actually going to get your things, but Two-Bit was snooping around your dad's room and thought it was odd it was so empty. We all...put it together."

Steve bit his lip, trying to hold back the tears, "I just can't believe it. If I'm not available to what he wants out of me, he just doesn't want me at all."

Soda looked at his best friend, and couldn't hold back the frustration, "Steve, who cares if he left?"

Steve looked at Soda with his mouth hung open, unsure how to respond to his sudden anger.

"Do you see what he has done to you? I don't give a shit that he's gone! He needs to be gone, forever!"

The front door opened and Darry stepped outside, "What's going on guys?"

Soda stood up from the swing and looked down at Steve, "The only thing I wish I could have done before he left was beat his ass." Steve couldn't respond as Soda marched inside the house.

"Why is he mad at me?" Steve asked.

Darry sighed, "He's mad at Terrence, not at you. I'll go talk to him."

* * *

Darry followed Soda outside in the backyard. He watched Soda pace the backyard, throwing his hands in the air and shaking his head. "I don't get it Darry."

"Soda..."

"No!" Soda interrupted, pointing a finger at his older brother, "I don't fucking get it! That man beat him! That man injured him! He has a long road of recovery! It will be a long time before he can be just Steve again! That man chained him like a damn dog!"

"I know..."

"And he's having a breakdown over him leaving!" Soda yelled, "Why!"

"Soda, I know you have strong feelings towards Terrence right now. I do too."

Soda scoffed, "I hate him Darry. I hate every part of him!"

"I know Soda, but you have to understand what Steve is going through."

"He shouldn't be upset! He should be glad that that scum just booked it. He doesn't need him. Good riddance!" Soda yelled towards the sky.

"Soda," Darry walked over and put both hands on Soda's shoulders, "Just listen to me, please. You are right, absolutely right. I'm not taking that away from you. Steve doesn't need him anymore. But do you realize what he was just told by his dad packing up and leaving without a word?"

Soda shook his head as he looked to the ground, anger continuing to rise in him, "What?"

"That he didn't want Steve. Steve wasn't worth having around if he couldn't do those things to him, if he couldn't control and beat him. They didn't have that good of a relationship for years, I know, but they had something. They had their good days. And...out of nowhere, Terrence decided he didn't want that anymore. He wanted to change things and if he couldn't have it that way, Steve wasn't worth being in his life."

"But why Darry? Why did Terrence decide to change and be like this? Why was Steve only worth treating like an animal to him?" Soda asked, tears coming to his eyes.

Darry shook his head, "No one will be able to answer that. Soda, you have to realize something. I wasn't going to let Steve go back home, hell he knew he wasn't going to willingly go back, but at least he still had Terrence and his home to go back to if things ever turned around and went back to normal. He still had those pieces of his mom alive for him, that small possibility to return to those things. But with Terrence abandoning him like this, without a single word or reason...Steve's world has been turned completely upside down. And he has to try and figure it all out."

Soda looked up at Darry.

"He's not having a breakdown, because he wants Terrence back. He's having a breakdown, because he doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why Terrence did these things to him. A lot just got taken from him, without him having a chance to get some closure."

Soda slowly nodded, "I guess I get it. I just hate that he leaves and is out of our lives and we should be happy for that. But instead, he's causing Steve pain, again."

"I know little buddy, just give Steve time. Just be there for him. He'll come around."

Soda felt himself collapse into his older brother's chest, "I just want him to be Steve again."

"I do too," Darry rubbed Soda's head, "At least he can start his road to recovery. Now that his dad is gone."


	31. Chapter 31

The next morning arrived. A day of confusion, anger, anguish, and pain had passed. Steve had gone to sleep with those feelings, dreading what was to come on the other side of the sun. He had no idea what was about to come for him. He had to try and process everything yesterday, and had to prepare to move on from it. That's all he could wish for at this point is to simply move on without feeling. There wasn't even a hint of fear that this was a trick of his father's. Steve knew. He knew that his father was gone. When Steve opened his eyes and saw the sun peeking in through the blinds, he was surprised to actually feel rested. There was a feeling of being replenished, but also too tired to repeat those feelings from the day before. His mind and body couldn't take that, but he also felt as if some weight was naturally lifting off without him having to try. He just felt done with everything. He didn't want to let his father win by sulking into those feelings. His father didn't care if he was being affected anyway. He was done with Steve, and Steve had to be done with him. It was a new day. It was the beginning of a new life that was going to start whether he was ready or not.

* * *

"What's the plan today?" Darry asked. Soda looked over at Steve from across the kitchen table as they ate some breakfast. He wasn't sure what to say to Steve yet. He didn't want to hear Steve say he was still upset over his father. If he heard those words, Soda knew he may react with anger. He didn't want Steve to get that vibe though. It would just make it a longer process for Steve to get through it all. Soda didn't want it to be obvious the way he was feeling. Unfortunately they were best friends, so it'd be near impossible to hide it. Soda wanted him to be over it now, but he knew he'd have to have patience, and give Steve some time. Even if he didn't like it, or completely understand it, he'd have to give Steve his time to figure it out.

"I'm not sure," Steve replied.

"Do you want to go anywhere?" Darry asked.

"Not really," Steve said taking a bite of the eggs on his plate.

Darry set the two pills next to Steve, "How is everything feeling?"

Steve looked down at the pills, knowing he was going to be on them for some time. He'd have to go back to the doctor eventually to check his infection was passing okay. He wasn't even sure the last time he had looked at his back. "Decent. Walking is feeling okay."

"Well the more you do it the better it will get," Darry sat down with his own plate of breakfast, "If you want to take a slow day that's fine. Just let us know if there's anything you want to do."

"Thanks," Steve said. He looked over at Soda, who was just looking down at his food.

* * *

"Want a cigarette?" Two-Bit asked as he extended his hand with the pack in it.

Dally accepted the offer, "Yeah."

"Steve?"

Steve held his hand up and shook his head, "No. Cigarettes make me feel kind of sick right now."

Two-Bit and Dally lit up. They stood in the driveway while Steve sat on the bottom porch step.

"How was it? Going home, and seeing that?" Two-Bit asked.

Steve looked down, "It was hard. I didn't really understand it. Hell, I don't know if I still understand it."

"We weren't even sure what we were seeing," Two-Bit shook his head, "We kept going back and forth on what it could all mean, but...only one thing made the most sense."

"Has he ever done this before?" Dally asked.

Steve shook his head, "He's left at times, but he's never taken his clothes. He's never taken everything. He's just done his storming out and coming back."

"I know it's a shock and everything's different now," Two-Bit said taking a long drag, "But you will get through this."

"He's not going to hurt you anymore," Dally said, "You'll be okay kid."

Steve looked up at his friends. The sincerity in their eyes told him it really would be okay. They truly believed, they truly knew Steve was going to be just fine. They knew Steve could continue life and would survive it strong-willed. Out of all people, if Two-Bit and Dally knew all of that would be true, how could Steve not have hope too? "Yeah. I will."

Nothing else was said. The two greasers let Steve think about what they had to say. Dally and Two-Bit finished their cigarettes and walked inside the house. Steve stayed outside. He let his mind run, as the words his two friends had said repeated over and over. As he kept hearing their words, he could feel himself believing them more and more. His father never cared, and Steve's life would move forward just fine.

After some time in thought, Johnny arrived at the Curtis house, making his way up the driveway.

"Hey Johnny," Steve greeted.

"Hey Steve. What are you doing out here alone?"

"Just thinking, I guess," Steve shrugged.

"I'm sure you have a lot of that to do," Johnny sat down next to Steve.

"Hmm, yeah," Steve tapped his foot, "Johnny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Does it really not bother you the way your parents are? That you aren't wanted by them?"

Johnny shrugged, "Maybe at a time it did, but not really anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because that's been my whole life," Johnny said, "I was never wanted at home."

"Oh," Steve looked down.

"I know why you're asking that, but what you're going through ain't like my home man," Johnny said, "I've always lived this life. I get hit around a bit and ignored, but they don't care enough to control me or nearly kill me. Your dad wanted to control you and wouldn't flinch at the idea to eventually kill you."

Steve looked up at Johnny, surprised at the observation, "I guess you're right."

Johnny got up and turned to go up the rest of the porch, "I know you've compared us since this all started for you, but yours really is different. I'm not wanted at home, but I'm in the least bit safe. You weren't safe."

Steve bit his lip and cringed at that word. _Safe. _That word never crossed his mind when he thought of Johnny's home life. He never questioned if Johnny was actually safe. Everyone just knew he'd have good days at home and bad days at home. No one ever rushed over, because they were worried he could be dead. Johnny knew the days to leave his house and keep his distance, and even then it wasn't because his safety was in jeopardy. It was simply because he wasn't going to deal with the abuse. Steve's house wasn't safe. His father wasn't a safe person to be around. That's why Soda and Darry took their opportunities to go over to the Randle house and intervene. They had the idea in the back of their minds that Steve could be killed. They all knew the painful truth of that when Steve doubted it could ever get to that point.

Steve turned and looked up at the young greaser, who was still there waiting. "Thanks Johnny."

* * *

He just stared at his reflection. The bathroom door was closed, trying to instill some privacy. His eyes wandered around his face. It still had some discoloration, there was a popped blood vessel in one eye that would take some time to heal up. His face looked like it was starting to come back down to it's regular shape, not as swelled up or seriously bruised. It wouldn't be too long before he could recognize the man in the mirror again.

That gave him some hope that maybe the rest wasn't as bad. Coming face to face with the parts he hadn't seen, the beatings he hadn't come forward to, was what he needed to push forward. He took the confidence he was feeling and grabbed the arm sleeve of his shirt. He tucked his arm in and repeated on the other side. Lifting his shirt, he brought it over his head, exposing his chest and stomach. He quickly tossed the clothing aside.

Looking to the floor, he slowly turned around and faced the wall.

* * *

"Hey Steve."

Steve looked up from sitting on Soda's bed and saw Ponyboy at the doorway. "Hey kid."

Pony looked down towards the floor, "It still shakes me up sometimes."

"Huh?"

"When I walked in here and found you on the floor. A nightmare has never made me do that. I just...I had no idea it had gotten so bad," Pony explained, "I was scared for you. I had never seen you like that before."

"Yeah well I haven't been put through all of this before."

"I always see you as such a tough greaser, in a lot of ways. I would have thought nothing could ever break you down. I saw you on the floor like that and it wasn't just physical pain. I could see it in your eyes that there was so much more," Pony leaned against the doorway, "If Steve Randle was broken down, then what?"

Steve looked up at Ponyboy, "Didn't know you thought so highly of me."

Pony grinned, "I guess I thought it was impossible for you to ever be hurting."

"Yeah, makes two of us."

"So, now you're going to live with us, huh?"

Steve sighed, "Got nowhere else to go."

"Yeah," Pony looked down, "Soda told me your dad just ditched out."

"Yep, he did," Steve nodded, "I wasn't worth anything to him anymore."

"I mean, were you ever?"

Steve looked up, "What?"

"I mean, I know he never hurt you like this before. But he still never cared about you. He didn't give a damn about you, he kicked you out all the time. If you left way before he became this crazy, he wouldn't have cared where you ended up anyway," Pony explained, "So, were you ever worth anything to him?"

Steve was quiet. He had to give Pony and Johnny some more credit. They were observant, and they were smart. Apparently smarter than he was, as they knew the truth of Steve's home life and his father better than he did. Or had he just always refused to see it himself?

"I'm sorry," Pony said as he watched Steve's facial expressions change.

"No, no," Steve said, "You're right. I didn't want to see it that way, but you are right."

"I don't want to hurt your feelings or make you more upset."

"Surprisingly, what you said is probably what's going to help me get through this," Steve nodded.

"Okay," Pony turned to leave, "I hope you're doing okay."

Steve slowly stood up from the bed, his back barely hurting, as the emotional baggage he had been carrying was starting to rise. "I am."

* * *

He looked down at the floor. There lay his shirt. His back was exposed. It was facing the mirror. He had to mentally prepare himself to turn his face and look, really look. 'It couldn't be worse,' Steve thought to himself, 'It can only be healing.' Steve wasn't sure if the back could get uglier as it healed up though. It was a sensitive part of the body, considering how much damage it had done to him.

Lifting his head, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His lips closed as he held it. He kept it in and kept it in as long as he could bear. As his chest began to burn, he opened his eyes and slowly let the air escape. "Now or never," he whispered to himself.

Slowly looking to the left, Steve glanced into the mirror to get a good angle. He looked towards the bottom of the mirror. There were the purple stains across his lower back. There were the scratches. There were scabs. There were deeper wounds closing up and healing. Steve just stared.

* * *

The two best friends hadn't spoken yet that day. Soda was taking his space until he knew he could confront Steve with the best intentions in mind. He knew he had to get himself on good terms with what was happening, and understand where Steve was coming from with however he may be feeling. It was the late afternoon when Soda finally felt confident enough to talk with Steve. He found Steve sitting in the backyard. The rest of the gang was in the living room, waiting to do whatever Steve needed. Soda was grateful for the friends they had, but he knew Steve needed his words more than anything.

Taking a deep breath, Soda opened the door and went to join his best friend, prepared to hear anything he may not want to.

"How are you feeling today?" Soda asked as they sat on the back porch.

"I'm feeling okay," Steve answered. He was happy to see Soda next to him, actually talking to him. Neither one of them said anything to continue on the conversation though. Soda's mind went back and forth on different directions to take it. He could make small talk or get to the point. He could keep Steve steady or trigger an emotional roller coaster.

"I'm sorry I seemed mad yesterday. I just...I was feeling happy to think...to think he was gone and out of our lives. You weren't happy, you seemed so sad and so beaten, and I just didn't understand why," Soda said.

"It's not like I don't see the good in it, Soda. I won't get hurt anymore, I know that. I just felt hurt yesterday that he could just do that to me. That's all."

"Do you still feel hurt by it?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah. I might for awhile, but...I'm not begging for him to come back." He looked over at Soda and saw him looking out into the backyard. He didn't want Soda to think he was wanting his father to come back. That wasn't the meaning behind his feelings. "Soda, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Would you say...I was never worth anything to my dad? Before all of this shit went down, was I ever worth anything? Ever?"

Soda shrugged, "I don't know. Why are you thinking about that?"

"I was talking to Pony, and he had said how you told him about my dad leaving. I said I wasn't worth anything to him anymore, and the kid had asked if I ever was? I wasn't sure how to answer, but when Pony explained himself, it all made sense. My dad kicked me out a lot, and he didn't care where I went or if anything happened to me. He never cared."

"Pony is pretty smart," Soda smiled.

"I guess before this all happened, I just didn't think of me being worth anything to him. It was how our home life had been for a long time. It was my normal. All he wanted out of me was to behave and not piss him off, and our home was fine," Steve explained, "But then it turned into that not being good enough for him. I had to become a punching bag to be worth anything to him. That just hurt so much more than me just being a kid who was around sometimes. I just didn't really care or feel bad for myself with the normal."

Soda nodded, "Pony's right though. Even with that normal, you weren't worth anything to him."

"Yeah."

Soda looked at his best friend as he became quiet, "I know you were having a hard time yesterday accepting all of this, but I want you to know you're going to be okay. The gang is here. Darry is here. I'm here. We ain't going anywhere. Your life is going to move on just fine."

Steve slowly nodded, "I know buddy. I actually am starting to see that everyone is right, that I'll be okay."

* * *

Darry walked into the kitchen that night and stopped. He saw Steve at the sink, washing dishes from dinner. That was a sight to see. Someone from the gang actually cleaning from a mess they had made. It made Darry chuckle to himself, even though he knew there was a deeper meaning behind it.

"I'll dry," Darry said grabbing a towel. Steve didn't respond as Darry took a wet plate. "Why are you doing the dishes?"

Steve shrugged, "Just relaxing right now."

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm actually doing better than what I thought I'd be waking up to."

"Having a lot of feelings though?" Darry asked as he piled dry plates.

Steve nodded, "Yeah."

"Want to talk about them?"

"I just...I know it's all good he's gone. And I was starting to think to myself that I will be just fine, that there's no reason to be sad over him. But then there are still moments I feel sad again. I start thinking about walking through my house and realizing he was gone, and I question it again, if I'll be okay. Why can't I just be happy about it? I know everyone else is thrilled. Why am I the only one sad about it?"

"Because you've gone through a lot. A lot is about to change for you. I think you're hoping for some sort of closure, but...I'm sorry to say you aren't going to get it. At least not to the extent you want."

"Yeah."

"It's okay to feel the way you are Steve. Take it day by day. It will get easier."

Steve continued to run soap on the dishes and rinse them under the faucet. Darry was right. That is all he could do. He'd have to let tomorrow happen, let it pass, and then take on the next day. He'd have his good days and his bad days. He'd have his moments where no one would even think he was ever sad, and then he'd have his moments where no one would even think he was moving on. The gang would be there for him on either type of day, every step of the way. Especially the Curtis brothers. They were ready to have Steve live with them, without a second though. Even if his father hadn't left, they weren't going to give Steve a chance to argue. He was going to live with them and start a new life no matter if his father was around or not.

Darry said that Steve was hoping for closure, but he wouldn't get exactly the closure he was needing. His closure was to ask his father questions and get straight answers. Even if he could ask his father questions, there was no way he'd get the answers he hoped for. His father didn't care, that's why he did what he did. There was no deep meaning to it, even if Steve hoped for one.

Looking up at Darry, Steve asked, "Can you drive me somewhere?"

* * *

He couldn't take his eyes off his back. "You did this to me," Steve quietly said to himself, "But I can't let it hold me back. I have to move on." Steve felt the tears well up in his eyes. He let them fall, unable to turn away from the reflection. This was a big step, a huge step for him. He was able to stare at the injury and just take it in. There was a little fear, and a little anger filling him. But there was also a power of strength. It was a presentation of all he had gone through, in such a short amount of time, and he survived it. And the day his back looked normal again, he was only going to strive in his new life.

He turned completely around and looked at his reflection in the mirror again. He wiped his eyes. "I am okay."

* * *

They pulled up to a house. As soon as Steve saw the driveway still empty, that's all it was to him. Not his house, just a house. This was the last time he would be here. The plan was to never return. He couldn't look back at it if he wanted to walk forward. He stepped out of the truck and stood at the end of the driveway. He just looked up at it. Darry stayed in the truck, and just waited for any sign Steve needed him. There was no motivation for Steve to walk up. He had no desire to go walk around the house to see if his father had returned at all. He didn't want to search for any hope. He had already taken that one step of moving on, and he was feeling good about it.

Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out the object he had brought with. Looking down, it was the picture of his mom. She appeared happier in the photo. Like she was showing Steve how happy she was for him right now. Looking up towards the sky, Steve said to himself, "Thanks for not leaving my side. I love you."

He took one last look at the house, and turned back.

"Are you ready?" Darry asked as Steve closed the passenger door.

Steve looked at Darry and smiled, "Let's go home."

* * *

THE END

A/N: Thank you sooooo much everyone! Your endless support is what made this story what it is! I'm happy with it and am looking into if the story is suppose to continue on after this :) I hope you all enjoyed this! Thank you again!


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